Life's Better With An Uchiha On Top
by Kisa Kisa Yum Yum
Summary: Sakura transferred to Konoha High, and is now living with Sasuke....Huh. Funny how things turn out. sasusaku, naruhina, shikatema, kibaino, nejiten. Several OC's, and definitely OCness. Rated M for language and later chapters.
1. Meeting New Peeps

**Heyo, everyone! This is my first fanfic! Well, the first I've typed. Yes, it is SasuSaku mainly, but it has NaruHina, ShikaTema, NejiTen, and someone with Ino...well, we'll have a vote! It could be InoSai, InoChouji, InoKiba, or InoSomeoneelse! You decide! Well, be gentle with this one, kay? Tell me if it sucks! Will try to update periodically!**

**Disclaimer: Gomen, forgot this initially! I do not own Naruto or anything but this story!!!!!**

Does anyone have some rope? I need to hang myself from the rafters of an old barn.

"Sakura, honey, it's not that bad." My mom sighed from the front seat of her old car. "So you're the new girl. So you're really smart and sarcastic and will probably get beaten up six times a day. So you have abnormal pink hair and a larger-than-normal forehead. Don't think about it, hon."

My left eye twitched as I said, through gritted teeth, "I wasn't thinking about it, Mom...thanks for giving me those reasons to commit suicide, though, I feel _soooooo _much better now."

"Don't get snippy with me, young lady. Now get out of my car and drive your own tomorrow. I'll pick you up at three."

"Uh, Mom," I said as I got out and paused with the door in my hands, "school gets out at 2:30..."

"Sure, hon. I'll be here at four."

With a frustrated sigh, I slammed the door and resolved to walk home. As I watched my mother drive away, the sounds of students talking and shrieking around me sunk into my brain until I wanted to deck every one of them. Instead, I just gave yet another sigh and turned.

My name is Haruno Sakura, and I am 16 years old. I used to be such an unhappy, misunderstood child, so carefree...until I came home from the worst school in Musaroghe and was pulled into a nice, warm hug from my workaholic mother. Bizarre as this was, and the fact that she was at home in the afternoon on a weekday, what scared me most was that she was smiling. I shudder just thinking of it. Then she proceeded to tell me that she'd been given a promotion...in Konoha.

I was the only one that wasn't smiling.

See, even though I was never a loved child, never had two(or one) tender parents that wanted the best for me, never got chosen to be the princess in plays, never had real friends, always got teased about my intelligence (just the fact that I can say that word explains it), and was never chosen as a partner for the Fall dance, I was content. Yes, content with my dysfunctional life. And now, I would be moving to a great town, where my mom would be a happy work-9-to-5-a-day mom, and I would be going to a rich, snooty school with rich, snooty people.

Kill. Me. Now.

Then I learned that I had a uniform at this new rich, snooty school. It's so cute, with a red and black checkered jacket, a pristine white collared shirt with long sleeves ending in cuffs, a red and black checkered skirt that went half-way to my knees, high school-girl white socks, and black flats with little checkered patterns. Oh, and the adorable red and black checkered tie. I was about ready to strangle myself with it. Do I sound suicidal to you? Oh well.

I was wearing said uniform, but I'd...heh...accessorized. I had several black and red bangles on each arm, a necklace I bought off of a friend with what looked like real teeth on it (don't worry, they're fake...I think.), and red dangly earrings. My long pink hair (which I secretly love though I moan about it) was up in a ponytail, and the scrunchie was red and black checkered too. (A/N: I HATE WRITING RED AND BLACK CHECKERED!!!!!! ...CRAP)

I hoisted my new black bag higher on my shoulderblades and looked around for a sign that said, "This Way, Sakura...Office Is This Way..." There was, of course, no such sign. Damn.

"You new?" A female voice asked from behind me, and I looked nonchalantly over my shoulder to see a pretty blonde with light blue eyes smirking at me. She wore a uniform too, so I knew she was a student like me.

"Yeah. You the welcoming committee?" I asked, in a sort of sarcastic voice, waiting for her to stiffen and walk away. But to my surprise, she just laughed. "Sort of. I'm Yamaka Ino. So...new girl. Bet you hate that, huh?"

"Eh, it's got it's benefits. At least no one knows me. And if they try to talk to me, I can always slam their face into a wall." Attempt Number Two. Oh, didn't I say? Whenever I meet new people, I give them a test. I'll try to make them uncomfortable, so if they pass all three benchmarks, they're cool. She'd already cleared the first hurdle.

A grin again. "Sounds fun. I might help you."

Okay, Attempt Number Three. The biggie. "I'm not a very social person. My Friday and Saturday nights are spent in my jammies, eating chocolate ice cream and watching funny movies."

Her face was red. I thought she'd definitely blow me off---Then she laughed. And I realized she had been trying to hold in her laughter. "Oh--Oh Kami--! Oh Kami, you just have to be my friend, Babe--I haven't laughed like this in years! Ahhahahahahaha!"

A reluctant grin spread across my face, even as kids stopped to stare at the maniacally laughing girl and the new girl with pink hair. One of these ran up to them excitedly. "Ohayo, Ino! What up?!" He yelled practically in my ear.

Ino stopped laughing and took the hand I extended to help her up. Then she glared at the hyperactive blonde. "Naruto, go away! You're scaring my new friend!

At this, the boy called Naruto spotted me and pointed dramatically, yelling, "OMG, pink hair!!!!!!!!"

I held up a fist. "What was that, baka?"

"Eh...nothing! Ehhehhehheh...So, what's your name?" He hurriedly changed the subject.

"Haruno Sakura. Just moved here from Musaroghe. How'd'ya do?" I uncurled the fist and he took my hand in a very business-like shake. "Uzumaki Naruto! I'm gonna be the next mayor of Konoha, BELIEVE IT!" He yelled, and my hair stood on end from the force of his declaration as spit flew in every direction.

"N-naruto-k-kun, p-please don't y-yell!" A beautiful girl with long dark blue hair, pupil-less white eyes, and pale skin walked up to them along with a brunette boy. They were both wearing the uniform, as was Naruto.

He turned and scratched the back of his head ashamedly. "Gomen, Hinata-chan...Ohayo, Kiba."

Kiba waved his arm enthusiastically. "Yo baka, did you do your homework last night for English?"

Naruto's jaw dropped in shock. "AAUURRGGHH!!!!!! I completely forgot!!!!!!!" He clutched fistfuls of his blonde hair and ran around in a circle.

"N-naruto-kun..." Hinata stuttered as she watched the boy's suffering. "Y-you can copy m-mine."

He immediately paused in his tirade and grinned at her. "Yatta! You rock, Hinata-chan!" He wrapped the girl in a hug, so that only her bright red face was visible. I laughed. "Awwwwww..." I teased, and Naruto let her go, his cheeks slightly pink.

Ino turned to me. "Oh yeah! Sakura, these are my friends Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuga Hinata. Kiba, Hinata, this is Haruno Sakura. She just transferred here from Musaroghe."

"O-ohayo." Hinata greeted me, and Kiba mimicked her, but without the stuttering. I smiled. "Ohayo, guys."

Just then, a bell rang, and they all jumped. "Ah crap! Sakura, you need any help?" Ino asked me.

"Uh, if you could just show me where the office is, that'd be great." I replied.

"I'll take you! I know where it is!" Naruto said. Kiba snorted. "You would, baka, you're in there every day."

Before Naruto could get into a shouting match with Kiba, I took his arm and steered him away. "'Kay, so the office is...-?"

"Oh yeah. This way."

He led me into the building, and my jaw dropped. The place was drop-dead gorgeous! It looked pretty nice from the outside--but from the inside, it was a palace! Every thing was so new and shiny... "You like?" He asked as I stood in awe, staring--just staring. "Yeah..." I breathed. He laughed. "Welcome to Konoha High School!"

**Well, I'm generally proud of this! R&R, pweese?! Oh, and vote!**


	2. Who is the Teme?

**OMG, 3 reviews! Well, that's more than I expected...Thanks to Evil Tobi, gothgirljenn, and LareBearr who reviewed so far! I love you all, and if candy could be exchanged via computer, you'd all be sitting in a mound of chocolately sweetness! And marshmallows, marshmallows are good! And caramel...I'm gonna stop before I drool all over my keyboard.**

**Anyways, I have some explaining to do! Kay guys, Musaroghe is just a name I made up out-of-the-blue. And I'm not sure if this takes place in Japan or not. I typed the first chapter up in, like, less than two hours, between listening to music and reading other fanfics. So I know it's not really that good. ;; And there will be more about Sakura's life in the upcoming chapters, fellows...Hee, I love that word! Fellows...-coughs- right, getting off track! Eh, yeah, Sakura's sarcastic. So am I. And I love it! Naruto has to want to be something...so I decided on mayor! I thought about principal, but unlike other high school fics, Tsunade is not the principal of KHS. She is the mayor of Konoha. YAY! Well, you'll see what I mean. Well, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I hate these things...so here to help me is...Sakura!**

**Sakura: Yo, dudes. KisaLycorsis-san doesn't own Naruto, or me, and Sasuke will be mine, I already molested him! Ha, he is no longer a virgin!!**

**Sasuke: WHAT?! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!**

**Sakura: You were sleeping. And I'm pretty sure you're pregnant with my baby!**

**Sasuke: That's not even possible!**

**Sakura: I'm a med nin...-evil smile-**

**Sasuke: -faints-**

**Sakura: Good, he's unconcious...I'll make sure he's pregnant...hee hee**

Recap:

_He led me into the building, and my jaw dropped. The place was drop-dead gorgeous! It looked pretty nice from the outside--but from the inside, it was a palace! Every thing was so new and shiny... "You like?" He asked as I stood in awe, staring--just staring. "Yeah..." I breathed. He laughed. "Welcome to Konoha High School!"_

"Th-this place is amazing!" I gasped. Naruto grinned from behind me. "Hey, it's not too much!" He teased. "You're just easy to please!"

"Ah, shuddap!" I punched him playfully on the shoulder--and he yelped. I stared at him in shock as he rubbed the spot and yelled, "What the heck, Sakura?! You punched me!"

"I-I didn't mean--" I stammered just like Hinata, thinking I'd really hurt him. Then he straightened up and grinned. "Ha ha, just fooling'. It didn't hurt that--ooph!!"

I turned my back on the whithering mass of Naruto on the floor and kissed the knuckles of my right hand. "Okay, we going to the office or what?" I asked smartly.

The blonde took a minute to stop groaning in pain, then got shakily to his feet. "Owie, Sakura, that hurt!" He whined. I just shrugged. "Dude, you played me, so you got what you deserved!" His face was blank. "What?"

"Never mind. Anyways, the office?" I liked Naruto already. I didn't even have to go through the Test with this one--and yes, the Test is capitalized. Best thing in the world, BELIEVE IT! ...ah crap, the idiot's rubbing off on me.

There was just something about him. Maybe it was the way he looked, or the way he talked--no, it was definitely the way he talked to _me_. As if I was someone, someone special, like...a friend. Crap, I really hate this place. I'm already turning into a rich, snooty mushball.

"Oy Sakura, you okay?" Naruto's words broke me out of my reviere, and I focused in on his concerned face. Concerned. He was actually worried about me? No one worried about me... "I'm fine, Naruto." I even dredged up a smile for him. "Now, which way is the office again?"

His grin was infectuous. Now I know why Hinata likes him--and yes, she likes him. It's written all over her tomato-red face when he touches her, and her increased stammer when she talks to him. I thought she was adorable--though I will not say that word aloud--no, I won't--and wish that Naruto could see that she's got a crush on him. Hmm, maybe a project...? Hee hee, planning evil thoughts.

I realized that Naruto was walking away and hurried to follow him. He led me through a bunch of nice, clean hallways, down a couple flights of clean stairs, and into a clean room with the words OFFICE on the door. Geez, is everything in this school clean?!

There was a woman at a desk directly inside the room. She was very pretty, and smiled when we walked in. But when she saw Naruto, she scowled. "What did you do this time, Naruto? Do I have to call your parents? I have them on speed dial." She was even picking up the reciever when Naruto said, "No, no, Rin-sama! I'm just showing my new friend where the office is! She's new!"

Ah, he called me friend. I'm gonna cry. Tissue?

Rin smiled. "Good! So, new student?" she asked me, and I nodded, handing her the papers that my mom had given me this morning. You wanna know what they were? Ask her. I don't read that kind of crap.

She skimmed over it for a second, then typed some stuff into the computer on her desk. I wasn't really paying attention, just watching Naruto, who'd decided to go and annoy the principal. He slipped into the door labeled PRINCIPAL, and I saw throught he open door as said principal shouted and waved his arms at a sheepish Naruto.

"Here's your schedule, Sakura-san," Rin said to me, and I took the paper she had extended. Naruto ran back in to me, followed closely by the principal. He was handsome, with dark brown hair pulled up into a ponytail, black eyes, and a wide scar extending from his right cheek across the bridge of his nose to his left cheek. Seeing me and Rin, he immediately stopped, flushing and straightening his suit, then clearing his throat. "Yes, well...Uzumaki, I'm very...er...disappointed in your behavior! So...yeah."

Naruto just grinned. "Sure, sir...Hey, you done, Sakura?!" He ran up to me.

"Yup. So...he the principal?" I eyed the man carefully. He seemed nice. Notice emphasis on _seemed._

"Oh, right! This is--" He was cut off as the man said, "I'm Umino Iruka, your principal." He stuck out his hand, and for the second time within an hour, I shook someone's hand. "I'm Haruno Sakura." I said.

"Well, Sakura, welcome to Konoha High! I hope you enjoy attending our wonderful school!" He smiled, and I attempted one of my own. Perhaps it came out more evil than intended, because he muttered something about paperwork and hastily retreated to his office.

Naruto stared at my schedule, and I looked down at it, too.

_Schedule for Haruno Sakura:_

_Homeroom: Hatake Kakashi: 30 mins._

_First period: Yuhi Kurenai: English: 60 mins._

_Second period: Uchiha Itachi: Algebra: 60 mins._

_Third period: Deidara and Tobi: Art: 60 mins./Sasori: Drama: 60 mins._

_Fourth period: Hatake Kakashi: History: 60 mins._

_Lunch: 30 mins._

_Fifth period: Maito Gai and Anko: Physical Education: 60 mins._

_Sixth period: Kisame: Marine Biology: 60 mins._

"Hey, we've got the same classes!" Naruto yelled. "Awesome! Well, let's go, Sakura!" Then he grabbed my arm and dragged me off before I could forget to say thank you. I was liking him more by the minute.

He continued to drag me through a series of clean hallways, then through a door. The students inside were noisy, and I really, really wanted to deck someone, but I didn't want to upset Naruto. Or Rin. Or the weird principal-guy whose name I've already forgotten. I'm bad with names sometimes.

I saw Hinata, Ino, and Kiba and felt better. They were so flippin' nice. They saw us, too, and waved. But I didn't get a chance to go see them because Naruto 'escorted' me to the front where my teacher sat at a desk, reading a familiar orange book. I realized with horror that it was the same perverted book that my brother reads. Oh, I didn't tell you I had a brother? He's unimportant. I'll get to him later.

So, Perv-sensei looked up as Naruto and I walked up, and sighed. "New student?" He asked in a bored voice. He was actually very good-looking, with silver hair that stood up, and--was he wearing a mask?! Yup, he wore a dark blue mask covering his mouth and nose. He'd also tied a bandana around his head that covered his left eye. But besides that, he was handsome.

"Yeah," I replied, and he stared at me for a second, then sighed. "Okay." He stood and surveyed the room, apparently just noticing that it was a circus. Picking up several pieces of chalk, he threw them at the loudest kids. One was Kiba, and the chalk left a large white streak on his cheek. He huffed and sat in his seat, pouting. The corners of my mouth twitched."Listen up, students!" Perv-sensei barked. "We've got a new student, named Haruno Sakura!" I stared at him in shock--I'd never told him my name! "She's from...some place other than here!" Several students sweatdropped, and a couple laughed.Mostly they just stared at me. I didn't even bother to try to smile--it never comes out right. Like my mouth's forgotten how. So I just stared back. "So...eh, Sakura, take that seat next to...Ino?"

The blonde smiled at me and patted the empty seat beside her. As I walked down the aisle, someone stuck their foot out to trip me--but I know that trick. I just leapt over it, and flicked him on the side of the head. He yelped, and glared at my back as I continued until I slid beside Ino. She highfived me, and whispered, "You go, girl!" Why did just that little bit of praise feel so good? Rich snooty mushball, rich snooty mushball--

After my 'introduction', Perv-sensei went back to his perv book, and the chaos ensued once more. Ino leaned close to me and said, "Okay, I'll introduce you. This is Choji-" a chubby boy eating a doughnut "-and Shikamaru-" a boy sleeping on his desk-she elbowed him and he grunted something about reindeer- "-Tenen-" a pretty girl with twin buns on her head who grinned at me "-Neji-" a silent boy who had the same eyes as Hinata "-Lee-" a boy with a riduculous haircut and thick eyebrows, who winked at me and blinded me with a smile as he gave me a thumbs up "-Temari-" a girl with sandy hair in a ponytail who was currently poking Shikamaru "-Gaara-" a silent redhead with sea-foam green eyes and what looked to be black eyeliner "-Kankurou-" a brunette boy playing with a strange pencil-puppet thing "-and-hey, where's Sasuke?!"

Naruto, who sat behind Ino and beside Hinata, piped up with, "He's late! Ha ha, the teme will miss school, and eventually drop out and become a hobo!! Muwahahahaha!!" His evil laugh was silenced as the door opened and a cold voice said, "I'm right here, Dobe, and I could hear you from down the hall."

I turned to see the most gorgeous man--no, the most gorgeous thing--I'd ever seen in my life. He was tall, with black hair that was a little weird, but cute, and--damn, he was just so freakin' hot! Just then, his eyes slid from Naruto to me, and as emerald-mine- met onyx-his-, I knew that this year was going to be very, very interesting.

**Well, that's Chapter 2! Ain't it bootiful?! BTW, everyone is, like, 16 or maybe 17 at the most. Including Temari, Kankurou, Lee, Tenten, and Neji. Well, you know who I mean! So R&R, pweese!**

**Oh wait, you guys still have to vote on who Ino gets with! If you don't vote, I will be forced to choose--and a lot of you will not be happy!**


	3. My hair is natural

**So...we meet again.**

**Just kidding, I love you guys! No flames so far, this is cause for celebration! Break out the champagne! Ha ha, so, I would like to thank K and Jazz, musicstar13, ApplelovesApple, uchiha4lyf, and CHERRY BLOSSOM SWEETHEART, who've reviewed chapter 2, and special thanks to Evil Tobi, who's reviewed both chapters! Love you guys, and your names are so cool! Cookies are distributed! BTW, sorry for not updating sooner, I've had FCAT. FCAT is a state standardized test here in Florida, and its really rough. and I've been babysitting my nephew almost every day, so yeah. Gomen, guys.**

**Okay, onto business. The Ino vote has born these results:**

**KibaIno - 3**

**ShIno - 1**

**Well, I'll give you guys one more chapter to vote. Then I will be forced to put the chosen couple in the story. This one has alot of**

**So, this chapter will get...heh, wild!!!!!!!!**

**Sakura: ...can I just read the dislcaimer now?**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Nope. Hinata's doing it today!**

**Hinata: -quivers- Th-th-thank you for j-j-joining us to-to-today! A-and thanks for r-r-reading--**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Just get on with it!!!!!!!!!!**

**Hinata: -cries-**

**Naruto: Hinata! -glares- at KisaLycorsis-san You made Hinata cry!!!!!!!! Dattebayo, I will kill you!!**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Waaaaaah, I'm so sorry, Hinata-chan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're my fav character!!!!!!!!! -grovels-**

**Hinata: It's okay, Kisa. Anyways, KisaLycorsis-san does not own Naruto or anything but this story.**

**KisaLycorsis-san, Naruto, and Sakura: o.O She didn't stammer...**

_Naruto, who sat behind Ino and beside Hinata, piped up with, "He's late! Ha ha, the teme will miss school, and eventually drop out and become a hobo!! Muwahahahaha!!!" His evil laugh was silenced as the door opened and a cold voice said, "I'm right here, Dobe, and I could hear you from down the hall."_

_I turned to see the most gorgeous man--no, the most gorgeous thing--I'd ever seen in my life. He was tall, with black hair that was a little weird, but cute, and--damn, he was just so freakin' hot! Just then, his eyes slid from Naruto to me, and as emerald-mine- met onyx-his-, I knew that this year was going to be very, very interesting._

The boy and I stared at each other for seconds that seemed like hours, then I looked away. Naruto stood up abrptly and shouted, "Teme, I will kick your ass in P.E. today, BELIEVE IT!!!!"

Ino sighed and kicked him in the shins. He fell with a loud PLOP! and I laughed at the expression on his face when he leapt to his feet and began yelling and waving his arms like a pinwheel. The boy sat in the seat to my left and smirked at the blonde boy. "Naruto, you dobe, stop yelling at Ino. Not that I care if you yell at her...but I have a headache."

Ino stuck her tongue out at him, then smiled at me. "And this is Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke. He's a cold-hearted bastard, but it's just to hide his homosexuality."

Sasuke, who'd just taken a gulp of water from a bottle he'd taken from his bag, choked and sputtered. Naruto immediately stopped his tirade to laugh at his friend, and the rest of the class joined in. Finally, Sasuke forced the water down his throat and glared at Ino. "I-am-not-GAY!!!!" He yelled, but Ino just grinned. "Sure..." She replied slyly. "That's why you've never had a girlfriend, right?"

"Has he ever had a boyfriend?" I asked, my eyebrow raised. Sasuke glared at me. "Who the hell are you?!"

He may be as hot as hell, but he had such a bad attitude. So I decided to play with him a bit. I feigned deafness and instead turned to Hinata. "So Hinata-chan, have you ever had a boyfriend?"

The girl turned bright red and mumbled something that sounded like 'nobowame', so I took this as a no. "Why not? You're really pretty! Do you like someone?"

Ino grinned, and said, "Yeah Hinata! You said the other day that you did!"

Naruto cocked his ears at this and turned to us. "Really?! Who is it, Hinata?! I'm sooooooooo jealous!!!!!!!!"

If it was possible, her face got even redder. "Eh-uh-ano-um-m-m-maybe..."

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan. You don't have to tell us." I soothed her, emphasizing the suffix so that maybe Naruto would get the hint. I mean, he called me -chan, why didn't he call Hinata -chan, too?

"Ah..." He whined, dangling his arms before him pathetically. "Come oooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!"

"Shut up, idiot!" I punched him on the arm again, and again he yelped and fell to the floor. Ino stared approvingly. "Nice one, Babe.." I grinned and shrugged. "It's not the first time today. Something tells me that I'll be punching him alot this year..."

I heard a frustrated sigh behind me and turned to see that Sasuke was still glaring at me, obviously waiting for a response. Thankfully, Kiba butted in with, "Yo, Sakura, what classes you got?"

"Ano..." I got my schedule from my breast pocket and consulted it, squinting. "Eh...hold on, I need my--" I dug into my bag and pulled out a black case, opened it and took out a pair of pretty oval glasses. Perching them on my nose, I grinned at Ino, and waggled my eyebrows. She laughed, and I reluctantly turned to the paper, skimming over it. "Eh..."

"She's got the same classes as us!" Naruto yelled, miraculously getting over his 'wound'. "Isn't that cool?!"

"We've all got the same classes?" I asked, my left eye twitching. "That's...strange."

"Troublesome." Shikamaru agreed sleepily.

"Awesome! You know, Kurenai-sensei is going out with Asuma-sama." Ino whispered conspiratorily. **(A/N: Is that a word?!)**

"Who's Asuma-sama?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, he's the school counselor. He's not very good, though. He's always smoking, even though it's against school rules. And his advice is...well, we all love him anyway. But not as much as Kurenai-sensei." Ino finished with a grin. Shikamaru lifted his head to glare at her. "Asuma-sama is a great counselor!" he protested, and she rolled her eyes, but said nothing more.

A silence descended upon them all for a moment, then Sasuke, finally losing patience, said in a loud voice, "Who are you?!"

I turned to him with mock surprise. "Who, me?" I asked innocently, and is looks could kill, there would be a hole in my head. "Yes you, you're the only person here I don't know!" Came his irritated response, and I gave in. "Okay..." As I stood, everyone turned to stare, and Ino asked, "What's up?" but I ignored her.

I walked up to Sasuke's desk and braced my hands on it, then leaned forward, so that he had to rear his head back to avoid bumping noses with me. Then I grinned. "Hello, I'm Haruno Sakura, and I'm new here. Pleased to meet you, Uchiha Sasuke."

The look on his face was priceless. Naruto fell down laughing, and he wasn't the only one; even Hinata giggled quietly. Sasuke just sat there frozen, as if no one had ever greeted him that way, which was probably true. It wasn't until I moved away that he snapped out of his reverie and glared at me. "You're so annoying." He growled.

"Sakura-chan isn't annoying, Teme!" Naruto immediately sprang to my defense, in a dramatic pose. I almost expected him to spout off with Shakespeare. "You're just jealous because she has pink hair!"

I sweatdropped. "Why would anyone want pink hair?" I asked. Sasuke smirked. "Well, why'd you dye your hair pink?"

I rolled my eyes. "My hair is naturally pink." At his disbelieving look, I turned and dug once again in my bag, producing a large book. Ino asked, "What's that?" as everyone crowded around Sasuke's desk, where I'd placed the book. It was pretty, dark green felt with the words Haruno Sakura embroided on it with embellished cursive letters in pink. "It's a scrapbook I made three years ago, when-" My throat closed up, and I had to swallow before finishing, "Well, it's got pictures of me from when I was little."

I opened it to reveal a photo taken of me when I was a day old. "Awwwwwww...! You're so cuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!" Ino gushed. Naruto cocked his head to the side and said, "You look like a monkey." Ino punched him in the head and he fell to the floor once more, moaning in pain. No one but Hinata seemed to care; they were all too busy staring at my picture. Sasuke made a grunting sound that sounded like 'hn'. "Naruto's right. You look like a monkey."

A muscle throbbed in my temple; I could feel it, but chose to ignore it. "That's not the point. The point is, I have pink hair." I pointed to the few tufts of pink fluff atop my baby head.

He squinted, then shook his head. "I don't see it."

I felt my face growing hot with fury. Kami, this guy knew how to press my buttons. "Alright..." I turned the page, revealing another photo, this time of me at 3 months, smiling for the first time. "Awwwwww...!" Ino said again, but Sasuke just gave another 'hn'. "Still don't see it."

I kept flipping the pages, showing photos of me from ages 1-12, but he would always go 'hn' and deny seeing my hair. Why it should matter, I'm not sure, but, for some reason, it just was. Maybe I liked--no way! Finally, I came to the last pic, one that I really hadn't wanted to show. But when I hesitated, Ino asked, "Whatcha waitin' for?" So I reluctantly turned the page.

It had been taken on my thirteenth bithday; there I was, dressed in a nice pink dress with long flowing sleeves, a bodice that hugged my young curves, and a pretty skirt that flared around me. I was laughing, dancing with a handsome boy who looked to be about sixteen or older. He had shaggy black hair, shimmering dark blue eyes, and an infectuous grin; with a shock, I realized that it looked alot like Naruto's. Was that why I liked him?

"Oh, you look so pretty, Sakura! Who's the hot guy?!" Ino asked me. I didn't answer, just stared at the photo. Then I felt someone's gaze on me, and looked up to see Sasuke's eyes boring into mine like a drill. "Who is he?" he asked softly, and, unlike when Ino asked, I felt compelled to answer.

"He--he's my brother."

**Eh, that took awhile, eh? So, things are gettin' a little more intense for Sakura; you'll learn more in the next chapter.**

**Don't forget everyone! Vote for Ino's soulmate! heh heh, soulmate...sorry.**

**Review, please!**


	4. Don't be jealous, Sasuke

**So, here's the 4th Chapter. Here are the results from the Ino vote, which is now officially closed!**

**InoKiba - 2**

**ShIno - 1**

**InoSai - 1**

**InoKankurou - 1**

**ShikaIno - 1**

**I'd just like to point out that I love ShikaTema and dislike ShikaIno, so I won't ever write a story about this couple. Sorry for those who like it. But Ino Kiba won! Yoohoo!**

**Ino: Thank you, thank you! -cries tears of happiness- I always wanted a dog!**

**Kiba: And I'm house trained!**

**Ino: Yes...Now, KisaLycorsis-san does not own Naruto or anything but this story, although her wild dreams of suddenly discovering a huge pot of gold at the end of a rainbow to BUY Naruto will never cease. That's why she keeps chasing leperchauns.**

**KisaLycorsis-san: I hate you all. -sobs-**

_"Oh, you look so pretty, Sakura! Who's the hot guy?!" Ino asked me. I didn't answer, just stared at the photo. Then I felt someone's gaze on me, and looked up to see Sasuke's eyes boring into mine like a drill. "Who is he?" he asked softly, and, unlike when Ino asked, I felt compelled to answer._

_"He--he's my brother." _-

Ino gasped. "You have a brother?! Wow, he's hot!! Can I meet him?! Does he live with you?! How old is he?!"

Just the mention of him made the backs of my eyes prickle. I swallowed thickly, and said, "No. H-he lives back home. He lives on his own."

"Awwww...!" She looked desolate. "Oh well. What's his name?"

"Kyle. Haruno Kyle." I told her, then changed the subject very quickly. "So, when is this class over?"

Temari consulted Shikamaru's watch. "What the--? 'Time to take a nap'?! 'Time to say Mendokusee'?! What the hell, you plan this stuff?!" She yelled.

He yawned widely, not even bothering to cover his mouth. "Whatever. The bell will ring in--"

Just then, a loud ringing echoed throught he halls, and everyone in the class jumped up, slinging bookbags onto their shoulders and laughing and talking with friends. "Now." He finished lamely, then yawned once more.

"Okay...next stop, English with Kurenai-sensei. She's nice, but she can be strict. We'd better hurry up." Naruto said, standing like the others and stretching. "Come on, Sakura-chan, you'll get lost."

I sniffed derisively. "Me, get lost? I have a brilliant sense of direction!" I shoved the scrapbook back in my bag, slung it over my shoulder, and stood. Looked left. Looked right. "Eh...where's the door again?"

Sasuke sighed. "Great. Another idiot in the class. Terrific."

I scowled. "Hey, I'm not an idiot!"

"Sure you're not!" Naruto soothed me, glaring at the Uchiha. "Don't be jealous of Sakura's green eyes, Teme!"

I slapped my forehead and dragged my hand down my face. "Naruto, stop it with the jealous thing."

"Oh, gomen, Sakura-chan." He grinned, and I couldn't stop myself from smiling at him. He was just so--so--I don't know what, but he's it.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

"Whatever, loser." I shouldered roughly past him, and looked back to raise my eyebrow at Naruto. "You coming, Naruto?"

The blonde was trying to hold in a bark of laughter. It didn't work very well. "Dude, burn!"

"Shut up!" A vein in Sasuke's temple was throbbing, and Naruto backed away nervously."Heheh, calm down, Sasuke...Don't go psycho-killer on me!"

I shook my head at their antics. "Just come one, Naruto! I need to get there early!"

"Oh, right...well, let's go!" He marched up beside me and then began leading me to our next class. Sasuke followed sullenly. Naruto went down several confusing hallways, but this time it was harder to navigate due to the number of students milling around, conversing and joking amongst themselves. I somehow managed to keep pace with the blonde, and minutes that seemed like hours later, we finally slipped inside a classroom. There were a bunch of noisy people in there, and I noticed that most of them were the noisy people I already knew; Hinata, Kiba, Ino, Shikamaru, Temari, Lee, Neji, and Tenten. Unfortunately, the kid who'd tried to trip me was there, too, and he leered at me.

The teacher sat at her desk. She was very pretty, with long wavy dark hair and strange red eyes. She looked up as Naruto and I walked over to her, and smiled. "Hello. New student?"

"Yup! This is Haruno Sakura!" Naruto introduced me enthusiastically, beaming. "She's great, and Sasuke's jealous of her pink hair and green eyes!"

Sasuke glared at him across the room, and I couldn't suppress a laugh. The teacher sweatdropped and decided not to comment, instead saying, "Well Sakura, let's get you settled in. You can sit anywhere you'd like. I'm Yuhi Kurenai."

I gave a slight nod of my head, my signature greeting. "Arigato, Kurenai-sensei."

She just smiled as Naruto led me to an empty seat that was (conveniently) right beside his and across from Sasuke's. The latter frowned at this, and I grinned and blew him a kiss.

Ino looked up as I did this and smirked. "Oooooohhhhh, Sasuke got a kkkiiissssss! An air kiss, but still a kiss!"

"Awwww!" Temari made a puckered-lip face at him. "Kissy kissy, Sasuke-Wasuke!"

They were so cool. This year is gonna be terrific!!

**That is my Chapter 4, HHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYY!!**

**-cough- R&R, please.**


	5. Sasuke is Romeo!

**Okay, first off. xxx-tenshi-xxx. I can't tell you whether or not her brother is just living somewhere or not. That would give it away! Sakura wanted to drop the subject because it's a painful topic for her, so you have to infer that something's up. Don't worry, it'll all tie in eventually. Kay-key Day-key?**

**I would just like to thank everyone who reviewed. I love you guys soooooooooo much! And I am now alot more confident in my writing! I've always considered myself a good author, but I've never quite believed it. Thanks for giving me a boost in confidence, guys!**

**And sorry this took so long, I had a small case of writer's block!**

**Sasuke: I resent you, KisaLycorsis-san! I look like a jerk in your story!**

**KisaLycors-san: That's because you ARE a jerk in my story. But don't worry, it's SasuSaku, so you obviously get the gal.**

**Sakura: Squee!**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Stop doing that and read the disclaimer!**

**Sakura: KisaLycorsis-san does not own Naruto or anything but this story. Until the aliens beam her back up to the mothership.**

**KisaLycorsis-san: -nods- Right--Wait, what?!**

_She just smiled as Naruto led me to an empty seat that was (conveniently) right beside his and across from Sasuke's. The latter frowned at this, and I grinned and blew him a kiss._

_Ino looked up as I did this and smirked. "Oooooohhhhh, Sasuke got a kkkiiissssss! An air kiss, but still a kiss!"_

_"Awwww!" Temari made a puckered-lip face at him. "Kissy kissy, Sasuke-Wasuke!"_

_They were so cool. This year is gonna be terrific!_

Unfortunately, as often happens when one is having fun, someone comes along to ruin it. In this case, it was the Kid. Yes, I will capitalize his title now. The Kid who'd tried and failed to trip me. He stalked up to me as I sat down and got up in my face. "Why the hell did you hit me earlier?!" he spat at me, flicking spit on my cheeks.

I reached up a hand and wiped the offending moisture off. "Wow, so it isn't enough to act all tough? You have to attempt to drown me in saliva?" I asked sarcastically, and he flushed as everyone laughed. "Look, dude, I didn't 'hit' you. You tried to trip me, and I just flicked you on the side of the head. I'm sure it didn't hurt--you've got a hard head, I can already tell. Like Naruto and Sasuke."

"Hey!" Both boys protested at this, but I ignored them and stared the Kid down. If he wasn't such an asshole, I'd think he was kinda cute--he had shaggy dark brown hair and blue eyes. But the blue eyes were glaring at me, so they were not remotely attractive at the moment. His face was twisted into a kind of malicious smile-grimace-scowl thing. Is that even possible?

"It doesn't matter what exactly happened. The point is, you 'hit' me!" He was definitely **_NOT_** attractive. I think I'm going insane. I blame Naruto. "Dude, you seriously need to chill. Why don't you go do some illegal drugs, I'm sure that's your kinda thing."

Shikamaru grumbled something unintelligible in his sleep as Ino burst out in laughter beside him. When Temari, who was on his other side, joined in, however, he grunted and awoke, staring bleary-eyed at the laughing girls. "Mendokusee...Can't you two shut up?"

"What was that?!" Temari asked, cracking her knuckles. He paled and stammered, "N-n-nothing! Heheh, what I meant was...uh..."

"Idiot!" Ino rolled her eyes. I was watching this with amusement, until Kurenai-sensei called out, "That's enough, children. Take your seats so we can begin class."

I raised my eyebrow at the Kid, who stayed where he was, then he reluctantly took the seat before me. Crap, I have to deal with his ass. Tuuuuuuuuuurrific!

Once everyone had their attention on her, Kurenai-sensei said, "Alright, class. You all remember Friday that we left off on Act 3, Scene 5 in our book. Sakura, I'll get you a copy. We're in the middle of _Romeo and Juliet _by William Shakespeare. Have you heard of it?"

"Yes." I replied. "I read it."

"Oh." She blinked. "Well...would you mind rereading it?"

"I don't mind. Shakespeare was a very talented author. I've read most of his plays." Maybe it wouldn't be a problem here, me being smart. Back in my old school, they called me 'nerd' or 'geek' or 'bookworm'. You have to be tough nowadays, they say, and apparently you have to be stupid, too.

She was very excited about this, I could tell by the way that her eyes lit up. "Have you?! Me too! Wasn't _Hamlet _fantastic?!"

"Oh, I loved that one! It made me cry!"

"Me too!!"

The students were watching us like our conversation was a tennis match, their heads turning one way, then the other. I thought I heard a few crack, but I didn't really care. Maybe Kurenai-sensei was a book-fanatic like me! I've always been kinda ashamed of it, though...I mean, who wants to brag that they can read a thousand page book in less than 24 hours? **(A/N: I've done this before, stayed up all night. Then I went to bed and slept for 14 hours! It would have been cooler if I hadn't been staying at my friend's house.)**

Naruto was staring at me with his mouth agape like a fish. I doubt he'd ever even heard of William Shakespeare before they began reading _Romeo and Juli_et. Sasuke, however, wasn't surprised. He was staring at me, eyes narrowed, as if he were trying to read my mind. A sort of delightful shiver ran down my spine at this thought, but I instantly dismissed it. I did not like this jerk. This hot jerk, with the sexy eyes and hair and face and body and--

I banged my head on the desk in shock, and the class jumped. I thought I heard Ino snickering, but I didn't mind. I'd do the same thing. Naruto immediately began ranting about a nurse, ice, smelling salts, and, for some odd reason, ramen, when I sat up straight and grinned. "Heheh...I'm fine!"

Kurenai-sensei sweatdropped. "Alright, Sakura...now that you're 'fine', you can borrow my copy until I can dig you up one of your own." She handed me the book she'd been holding, then continued, "Karin isn't here today, so could you be Juliet, Sakura?"

"Sure. Would you like me to start now?" I really needed to cool my jets. Why was I thinking of Sasuke like that? Sure he was hot, but he was also annoying, and a jerk! And I wasn't sure he liked me...but then why was he still staring at me? Was it the air kiss? That was a joke...I think. Garr, I'm so messed up!

"--kura? Sakura?" I snapped out of my reviere at Kurenai-sensei's voice. At the expression on her face, I knew she'd been calling my name for a while now. I felt the beginnings of a blush start to bloom in my cheeks, but stamped the feeling down. "Y-yes, I'm sorry, I was...thinking."

"That's alright. Eh, you can start whenever you like." She obviously thought I was a little weird, but who really cares? She was nice, though. "Alright..." I cleared my throat and flipped to the correct page.

"Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day:  
It was the nightingale, and not the lark,  
That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear;  
Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree:  
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale."

Ino grinned and gave me a thumbs up. I returned the gesture feeling like an idiot, when the voice of Romeo made me jump; this was because it was coming from next to me.

"It was the lark, the herald of the morn,  
No nightingale: look, love, what envious streaks  
Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east:  
Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day  
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.  
I must be gone and live, or stay and die."

Sasuke was Romeo?! Oh, just my luck.

**Well, this chapter didn't go as planned, but I like it. I put in Romeo and Juliet because I love it, and all that jazz. Besides, Sakura and Sasuke, Juliet and Romeo? It's just too cute!**

**-KisaLycorsis-san is almost knocked over by Naruto-**

**Naruto: If anyone asks, we were out smashing mailboxes! -runs off-**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Eh...okay?**

Hinata: -runs up- Naruto, give me back my ramen! I just paid for that! -runs off-

**KisaLcyorsis-san: o.O Wonders never cease to amaze...**


	6. Itachisensei, Art, and lust

**Okay, okay, here is chapter 6! Now, it has come to my attention that my chapters are short. Very short. I was reading another story that was, like, 4 times as long as mine, and the author apologized at the end for it being too short! So I will try to make them longer, kay? You have my word as an author. Now, onto business. First of all--**

**Gaara: Hey! You're not the cookie monster! -points dramatically at me-**

**KisaLycorsis-san: -sweat drops- Uh, no! I'm not THAT ugly! Why're you looking for the cookie monster?**

**Gaara: -scoffs- He stole my cookies! Double chocolate chunk, with chocolate drizzle! Oh, and he took my double chocolate milk, too! **

**KisaLycorsis-san: -gasp- The fiend! If you read my disclaimer, I'll help you look for him.**

**Gaara: Okay. KisaLycorsis-san does not own Naruto or anything but this story. Alright….onward!! -runs off-**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Adios! Enjoy the story! -runs after Gaara-**

_Sasuke was Romeo?! Oh, just my luck._

How did that jerk get to be Romeo?! Romeo is supposed to be handsome, romantic, and-and- and a gentleman! Well, he was one out of three, at least…. Oh wait, I'm supposed to be reading. I cleared my throat, then continued in a soft, lilted voice;

Yon light is not day-light, I know it, I:It is some meteor that the sun exhales,To be to thee this night a torch-bearer,And light thee on thy way to Mantua:Therefore stay yet; thou need'st not to be gone."

"Good Sakura, good!" Kurenai-sensei smiled excitedly. "Maybe we'll just give you the part permanently. Karin-well…." She trailed off. "Well, we'll just give Juliet to you."

"Thank you Kurenai-sensei, but I'm not sure she'll fit in my bag." I winced even as I automatically retaliated with the smart remark. Hey, it's a habit!

She looked surprised for a moment, then, amazingly, she laughed. "Well, Juliet was small; if we try, I'm sure we can fit her in there." I was shocked. A teacher with a sense of humor? That's sooooo hard to find! "Eh…alright, Kurenai-sensei," I replied.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Can I read my part now?"

"Be my guest, Darling!" I deliberately put extra emphasis on the last word and batted my eyelashes flirtatiously. He 'hn'-ed at the endearment, and I stuck my tongue out at him childishly.

"Let me be ta'en, let me be put to death;I am content, so thou wilt have it so.I'll say yon grey is not the morning's eye,'Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia's brow;Nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beatThe vaulty heaven so high above our heads:I have more care to stay than will to go:Come, death, and welcome! Juliet wills it so.How is't, my soul? let's talk; it is not day."

Unknowingly, I sighed dreamily. He had such an amazing voice, and when he spoke the romantic words, my heart skipped a beat. If only he was Romeo, and I were Juliet; of course, we wouldn't die like them, but we'd have the same romance.

With a start, I realized that I had been gazing off into space for an indefinite amount of time and the whole class was staring at me, including Sasuke. I flushed in embarrassment and looked down at the book.

"It is, it is: hie hence, be gone, away!It is the lark that sings so out of tune,Straining harsh discords and unpleasing sharps.Some say the lark makes sweet division;This doth not so, for she divideth us:Some say the lark and loathed toad change eyes,O, now I would they had changed voices too!Since arm from arm that voice doth us affray,Hunting thee hence with hunt's-up to the day,O, now be gone; more light and light it grows."

For the next forty-five minutes, we continued on in that same vein (but without the sighing and all) until the bell rang. I closed my book with a grateful sigh and put it into my bag. "Okay, where to next?" I looked up, but Naruto was gone. I looked left, right, up, and down, but he was gone. Vanished. Poof. "Dangit! Where'd Naruto go?!"

"He ran out the door. I'm betting he forgot that he had to chauffer you around." I whirled around to see Sasuke standing beside my desk, smirking evilly. "Well, I guess you'll just have to take over his shift, won't you?" I said sweetly.

His smirk transformed into a scowl. "Why me? Find your next class yourself!"

"But I'm the new girl. And If I get lost, I'll tell Principal Iruka that it was because you wouldn't help me." Blackmail. It ALWAYS works.

Sasuke sighed in defeat. "Alright, alright! Come on, or we'll be late!" And he swept from the room, not even bothering to check to see if I followed. But I did, keeping up with his pace easily. "So, how come you're so antisocial?" I asked cheerfully.

"I am NOT antisocial! I just don't make the time to converse with idiots!" He muttered angrily. I just smiled. "Yeah right. I think you're just scared that no one will like you. So you keep up the cool persona so that people will think you're mysterious, and smart, and sexy--"

"Sexy?" He grinned. "You think I'm sexy?"

A bright blush to rival Hinata's bloomed in my cheeks. No, it covered my whole face. "I-I-I--I didn't say sexy! I said--uh, that is--uh--"

"Don't deny it. You think I'm sseeeexxyy, you think I'm sseeeexxyy, you think I'm--"

"Stop, stop!" His sing-songy chant just made my blush deepen, and I knew what Hinata must feel like when Naruto talks to her.

"You think I'm sseeeexxyy, you think I'm--"

"Sasuke…what are you doing?" Both of us looked up in shock to see a handsome man with a black ponytail, black eyes, and wearing a black suit staring at us in amusement. Sasuke said, "Eh….nothing."

"Who's he?" I asked in confusion. "He's our math teacher. And our next class." Sasuke answered.

"And your older brother. Uchiha Itachi." The man extended his hand to me with a smile, and I took it, wondering how many hands I was going to have to shake today. "You're Sasuke's brother? And my teacher?"

"It would appear so." His voice was smooth and velvety, and I realized with a shock that he and Sasuke were very alike. Very. "And you are..?"

"Haruno Sakura. This is my first day here." I replied to his unspoken question. "And I apparently have you for my next class, Uchiha-sensei."

"Oh please, call me Itachi." He smiled at me, but I noticed that it contained no warmth. Unlike Sasuke's.

"Let's go or we'll be late." Sasuke suddenly grabbed my hand and steered me away from his brother, dragging me into a classroom two doors away. "H-hey!" I protested. "What's your problem?!"

He spun around and I was shocked at the look on his face. He looked--for lack of a better word--scared. "Look, don't talk to my brother, okay? He's….he's not a very good person."

Before I could reply, he continued on, leading me to where Naruto sat talking to Hinata and Kiba. The former jumped up as we took two seats beside each other. "Sakura-chan! Gomen nasai, gomen nasai, I completely forget about you until Hinata asked why you weren't here! I was just thinking about ramen and--"

"Calm down, Naruto!" I held up my hands before me. "Look, I'm fine. I blackmailed Sasuke into taking me, okay? No biggy."

"Sasuke?!" Naruto swiveled around to the silent boy. "I knew it! You're in love with Sakura-chan, you teme! I'll kick your ass in P.E. for sure, BELIEVE IT!"

I banged my head on the desk once again. "Naruto, for once in your life, shut up!!" I yelled, though it was muffled from the wood.

Hinata giggled as the blonde sighed. "Alright, alright. Hey, did you know that--"

"--our next teacher is Sasuke's older brother?" I finished. He stared at me in shock. "How did you--"

"--know that?"

"What the hell, are you--"

"--psychic?"

He opened his mouth once again, but at that moment the teacher came through the door, and he fell silent. I shook my head at him, then focused on Itachi-sensei. Why had Sasuke been so adamant about me not speaking with him? Was he really as bad as he said he was? And why had he looked so…scared? Itachi-sensei walked over to the larger desk at the front of the room and said, "Good morning, class. I trust you all had an enjoyable weekend, and did your homework." There were several groans from students at this, including Naruto and Kiba.

"Now, today we will be discussing algebraic functions." He took a marker from the groove before the whiteboard and quickly wrote 'y + 56 78'. "Now, who can solve this for me?"

I raised my hand automatically. His eyes slid to me and he said, "Yes, Miss Haruno."

"Would you like me to solve it or tell you the answer, Itachi-sensei?" I asked. He smiled. "Solve it, please."

"Okay…To solve, you simply subtract the 56 from both sides, thus y 22."

Naruto cheered quietly as Itachi-sensei said, "Correct. Would you like to do another?"

"Please, sir." I grinned as he wrote '4x + 32 26' beside the first problem. "You would start by subtracting the 32 from both sides, and would get 4x -16. Divide the four from both sides, thus x -4."

"Correct once again, Miss Haruno." He gave me one last searching look, then turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, I would like for you to answer this next one."

I didn't really pay attention to the rest of the period because I already knew what he was teaching us, and when the bell rang I was doodling on a piece of notebook paper. I hurriedly stuffed it into my bag along with my pencil and the new textbook that Itachi-sensei had given me, and joined with Naruto at the door. "That was awesome how you knew that stuff, Sakura-chan! Me, I can't do that crap at all!" He ranted on about how he hated algebra until we reached their next class, then I cut him off with, "What class is this?"

"Eh…Art. Actually, third period switches each day between Art and Drama. It's kinda tricky, but you get used to it. Hey, do you think maybe you could tutor me in Algebra?! I mean, you're smart, I'm dumb, it would--"

"Naruto, can I talk to you for a moment?" I blurted before he could finish. He looked dumb-founded for a second, then nodded. "Uh, yeah…" We walked over to an unpopulated corner of the room. "What did you wanna talk about, Sakura-chan?"

"Look, Naruto…" I bit my lip. Damn, I've never had to do this! "I like you. I like you a lot. You remind me a lot of my…brother." I choked slightly on the last word, then moved on. "But I don't like you that way. You know?"

His face fell, and I immediately felt like a bitch. He was awesome, handsome, and a really great guy, but I was--dare I say it--in the middle of a teensy-weensy, tiny-winy crush on Sasuke. Shh, don't tell anyone I said that! "Sakura-chan….it's cool, okay? I know not a lot of girls like me in that way, and I just thought, you know, that you were different." He looked so dejected that I gave him a hug. Yes, a hug. Even I was surprised.

"Naruto, you're a wonderful person. You're cute, sweet, and funny. Loads of girls want to be with you! I just….." I trailed off. What could I say? 'I'm totally in lust with Uchiha Sasuke, you know, your best friend'?!

He smiled at me, but it didn't contain the warmth and happiness it usually did. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Sakura-chan. But no girl has ever even looked at me twice. Besides, I know you like Sasuke."

"M-me? Like S-sasuke?! You're crazy!" I laughed nervously to cover my stammer, but the knowing look in his eyes told me it didn't work. "Sure, Sakura-chan. Sure."

"And anyway," I continued more seriously, "You're wrong about no girl looking twice at you. I happen to know that someone in this classroom has a mighty crush on you."

His eyes lit up. "Really? Who?!"

"Well….Hinata-chan." I could tell by the look on his face that he hadn't been expecting that. Was he really so dense--? Cancel that, I know the answer. "No way! She doesn't--I mean, she's never--what makes you think--huh?" He stammered helplessly for a minute, then I cut in. "Naruto, haven't you seen the way she looks at you? I mean, every time you talk to her, she blushes. Every time you touch her, she blushes, then usually faints. I mean, she doesn't do that to Kiba or anyone else. And Hinata-chan is everything you could ask for; she's pretty, smart, kind, gentle, and, best of all, she likes you for who you are. I just got here and I already know that. Just ask her out, and I know she'll say yes."

He smiled, a real genuine smile, and I knew instantly that I'd done the right thing. "Alright! I'll do it right now!" He made as though to take off, but I grabbed a hold of the back of his shirt and pulled him back. "No, you can't just go up to her and ask her out!!" I half-yelled.

"Why not?" He asked innocently, and I marveled at the extent of his idiocy. Heaving a heavy sigh, I replied, "Because, that's so uncool! Look, just do this." I whispered something in his ear, and he grinned. "Okay! Arigato, Sakura-chan!"

I smiled as I watched him run off to his desk, my arms crossed around my middle. He deserved happiness, and so did Hinata. And they would look so cute together! As I stood there, a voice behind me said, "What was all that about?"

I glanced over my shoulder, then spun around when I saw it was Sasuke. He had his bag slung over his shoulder, the water bottle from before held in his hand and dripping condensation. "Thanks, I was thirsty!" I exclaimed and swiped it from him. I unscrewed the top and held it to my lips, taking a huge chug. He scowled and grabbed at it, but I danced out of his reach. I kept drinking until it was almost completely gone. Then I lowered it, put the top back on, and held it out towards him with a grin. "Here you go."

Sasuke smirked, and took it from me. My mouth gaped when he opened it and, keeping both eyes on mine, lifted it to his lips, placing them in the exact place mine had been, and drank. My eyes dropped to where his lips rested on the rim of the bottle until all the water was gone and he crumpled it in his fist. He licked his lips when he was done and a little flurry of butterflies ruptured in my chest at the sight. "Mmm. Tastes like strawberries." He said, and my cheeks burned as I realized that he was referring to the lip gloss I wore.

"Uh….I have to go! Go to the…uh…bathroom!" I dashed from the room hurriedly, aware that he was silently laughing behind me. I kept running, past Naruto, who called after me, ignoring him and bumping into several people as I ran down the hall. I found a door marked WOMEN and went in. It was thankfully empty, and I went to a sink, staring at my reflection in the mirror. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Sakura?" I whispered to it. My inner voice answered, "We have the hots for Sasuke. And he's fffiiinnneee, too! Let's rape him!" I dismissed her with a scoff. "Shut up." Shit, she was right. What the hell was I gonna do?!

**How's that, guys? Longer, yes. Cooler, yes. Hotter, yes, yes, yes!**

**Gaara: I caught him, I caught him! -drags the cookie monster behind him with a rope-**

**Cookie Monster: Me telling you, me no took cookies!**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Oh yeah? Then what's...THIS! -holds half-eaten cookie-**

**Cookie Monster: uh...cookie?**

**Gaara: I'm gonna kill you!!**

**--grafted for violence--**


	7. Detention and lunch

**The long awaited Chapter 7!**

**Temari: It's only been a few days since Chapter 6. And by the way, I want to be in it more! With my Shika-kun!**

**Shikamaru: Mendokusee….**

**Temari: Shut up! You're with me whether you like it or not!**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Yeah, Shikamaru! Now stop whining and read the disclaimer!**

**Shikamaru: Cheh…Troublesome….KisaLycorsis-san does not own Naruto or anything but this story. Her IQ is that of a chicken and she is therefore not smart enough to own anything so cool as Naruto.**

**KisaLycorsis-san: A chicken?!…..A robot chicken?**

_"Uh….I have to go! Go to the…uh…bathroom!" I dashed from the room hurriedly, aware that he was silently laughing behind me. I kept running, past Naruto, who called after me, ignoring him and bumping into several people as I ran down the hall. I found a door marked WOMEN and went in. It was thankfully empty, and I went to a sink, staring at my reflection in the mirror. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Sakura?" I whispered to it. My inner voice answered, "We have the hots for Sasuke. And he's fffiiinnneee, too! Let's rape him!" I dismissed her with a scoff. "Shut up." Shit, she was right. What the hell was I gonna do?!_

How long I stayed that way I'm not sure. When I finally got myself together, Hinata and Ino were banging on the door I'd locked, shouting if I was okay. I rinsed my face twice, then dried it with a paper towel. When I opened the door, Ino was the first thing I saw. She had a concerned look on her face, and I instantly felt guilty for making her worry. "Gomen nasai, Ino-chan. I just…felt the urge to throw up."

"Sh-should we go to the nurse? I'm sure she could g-give you something for n-nausea!" Hinata said anxiously, but I shook my head. "I'm alright now. It was just a feeling. Is the teacher angry?"

"Oh no!" Ino assured me as the girls led me back to the classroom. "Deidara-sensei's cool about this stuff, and Tobi-sensei….well, no worries!"

I gave her a weak smile, thinking of what I'd say to Sasuke. Fuck it, I'll just act like nothing happened, and keep flirting-I mean, joking- with him. Yeah, that's a good plan. Right.

When Hinata opened the classroom door, the blonde man talking at the front of the room paused mid-sentence. All other action in the room ceased as well, and I spotted Naruto and Sasuke were still having a fight in the back of the room, not noticing our reentrance.

I sighed loudly. "You two are such idiots!"

The boys looked up and identical scowls formed on their faces. Those two-no, just Sasuke-scowl too much.

Before they could say a word, the blonde man said, "And you must be Haruno Sakura. Pleased to have you in my class, yeah."

I sweat dropped. "Arigato…Dei…dara-sensei? Gomen nasai, but I felt sick and I didn't think you'd appreciate me throwing up in your classroom, sir." I really wanted to see Sasuke's face when I dismissed my flee as being sick, but I kept my face straight and facing the teacher.

Deidara-sensei grinned. "I appreciate that. Take that empty seat next to Sasuke, and I'll resume the lesson, yeah."

Why do I always end up beside Sasuke? Kami hates me. I walked to the selected seat, noticing that unlike the desks in my previous classes, there were tables. Two students per table. And I had to share with Sasuke.

This will either be really good or really bad.

I also saw that Ino and Hinata sat at one table, and Naruto and Kiba at another. An evil grin unfurled on my face, and as I sat down I tapped Naruto, who was right before me, on the shoulder. "Psst! Switch spots with Ino!"

"What? Why?" He hissed back.

"Because she's beside you-know-who!" He glanced over at their table and smiled….then frowned. "Ino'll never switch will me."

"Oh yes she will!" I whipped out a sheet of paper and a pen, and wrote:

**DO NOT LET HINATA SEE THIS!!**

**Please trade seats with Naruto.**

I folded the note and discreetly slipped it to Ino. She took it with a grin, then read it. The grin turned into a puzzled frown and she quickly wrote something, then passed it back.

Why?

I bit my lip. I didn't want to tell her via note, so I put down--

**Kiba likes you.**

--and gave it back to her. Her jaw dropped and her eyes bulged. I resisted the urge to laugh insanely. "He does?" She whispered frantically, and I nodded and hissed, "Yup. So will you?"

She hesitated, then smiled. "Naruto!" She threw her pencil at the back of his head.

"OUCH!" He yelped. Deidara-sensei stopped talking at the interruption and raised an eyebrow. "Naruto, what's the problem?"

"Uh--oof!" I leaned over him, forcing his head down and smiling brightly. "Naruto just wanted to ask if he could switch seats with Ino. So that…" I stared around. "…so that he can better see your artwork!" I pointed to the clay figurines hanging from the ceiling behind Ino and Hinata's table. "And Ino has kindly relinquished her seat!"

I was right in thinking that Deidara-sensei was an art fanatic. His eyes lit up with pride. "Of course! Naruto, you should have said so sooner! Yes, yes, move, whatever you like!"

Naruto got up rubbing his head, and grabbed his bag, walking towards Ino and Hinata. The latter grew redder as he approached. Ino leapt up with a smile and bounced over to Kiba, who was slightly flushed himself.

Naruto slid into the seat she'd vacated with a grin. "Hey, Hinata-chan!"

She flushed at the suffix, then smiled. "H-hey, Naruto-kun!"

"Alright class, as I was saying--" Deidara-sensei rambled on once again, but I wasn't listening. I couldn't hold it off any longer. I turned my head and met Sasuke's gaze.

He was definitely angry. But that's okay, 'cause he's hotter when he's--oh wait, I don't wanna think that! Go away, thoughts, go away!

"You felt sick?" He said with disdain. "You weren't sick."

"I almost was. I guess I was just….repulsed by something." I sent him a grin, and he grinned back, and I knew that it was okay. We'd just put it behind us, and--

"You weren't repulsed. You were turned on." He said confidently, and I anime crashed to the floor. I got up shakily, then glared at him. "I was SO NOT turned on! Why would I be turned on by y-you?" I cursed my stumble, and he shook his head. "Whatever. Denial."

"Denial?! Ok, it's on, let's go, you and me! I'll kick your antisocial hiney!" I yelled, then remembered that we were in class. It's a good thing I hadn't said ass.

As it was, Deidara-sensei was still glaring at me, and I laughed nervously. "Eh….Sasuke did it?"

"I'm sure. Just to be safe, I'll put you both in detention."

"Ah, man!" I whined, and I saw that Sasuke was now scowling. "What kind of detention?"

"After school."

"This blows!" I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest, pouting.

"Thanks for taking me down with you." Sasuke whispered sarcastically.

"Aw, you're welcome, smookypooms!" I gushed, batting my eyelashes flirtatiously. He just stuck his tongue out at me. Childish much? **(A/N: -forgets she did it earlier herself-)**

I spent the rest of the period sulking, not making eye contact with anyone, especially the antisocial jerk beside me. When the bell rang, I slung my bag over my shoulder and stormed over to Naruto. "Let's. Go. Now." I snarled, and he immediately jumped up, throwing Hinata an apologetic look, then scampered after me as I took off out the door.

"Next is Kakashi-sensei's class again. He teaches History." Naruto told me. I just nodded and slowed, letting him lead me once again. Getting around this school was gonna take some getting used to. When we arrived at the classroom, I took the same seat as before, and stared moodily at the desk. I felt someone come up behind me, but I didn't turn around.

"Are you a-alright, Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked hesitantly, and as I turned to deliver a stinging remark, I saw her face, and my anger instantly melted away. I stood and hugged her. "I love you Hinata, I really do. You're so sweet!" I said happily.

She blinked in surprise, then hugged me back. "Arigato, Sakura-chan." She replied.

"And don't worry, Naruto will love you, too." I whispered in her ear, and she gasped in shock. "Y-y-you know a-about th-that?! Wh-who t-told y-you?!"

"No one had to tell me. I guessed. And I mean it. Naruto will love you, too." I grinned; my bad mood had miraculously vanished. "Who do you normally eat lunch with?" I asked.

"Uh, w-well, the girls usually sit with the guys, so I-I do, too." Hinata replied, still slightly shaken at the revelation of her secret crush. "Y-you can sit with us, if you l-like."

"Sounds great!" I beamed as I let go of her and she sat where she'd sat earlier. Naruto shook his head at us, then turned to Hinata and began persuading her into a conversation. When the final bell rang, they were both engaged enthusiastically with each other, him making large, unnecessary gestures, and her giggling. I smiled at them. They were so cute!

"You again? I'd hoped you'd fallen off the face of the earth." Sasuke plunked down on the chair beside me. I rolled my eyes, and said, "Nope, sorry. I'm here to stay. So, you never answered my question. Why're you so antisocial?"

"I'm NOT antisocial!" He repeated the exclamation he'd given earlier, and I held my hands before me in surrender. "Hey, hey, calm down! I say you ARE antisocial. So why?"

"Sasuke has people problems." Ino commented to me as she sat in her seat. "He used to be okay, until--"

"Shut it, Ino!" The pencil he held snapped in half, and Ino lapsed into silence. I cocked my head in curiosity. "What happened, Sasuke?" I asked softly.

He sighed. "Nothing. Can we just drop it?"

"Five years ago, Sasuke's parents were killed in a car crash. They were hit by a drunk driver." Naruto told me, and Sasuke whirled on him, his eyes furious. "Didn't I just ask to drop it?!"

I just stared at him, my eyes wide with shock. "Y-your parents died? That-that's awful." I whispered, my mood plummeting into my shoes. Kami, why had I stirred up such painful memories for him? For a smart person, I sure do stupid things sometimes.

"Never mind. Just drop the subject." He turned away, and my eyes lowered in consternation. I felt a strange feeling in my gut, and wondered briefly if it was indigestion from the cereal I'd eaten for breakfast this morning. But that made no sense, so I figured it was pain. Sympathy. Pity.

"You know…we're not so different." I said softly. "You and me. My story's not far from yours."

Ino glanced at me in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Well….my mom is actually my aunt. My real mother died giving birth to me. And my dad…he's my uncle. My real dad was a drug addict who bailed when my mom told him she was pregnant. She was only sixteen, and really petite. My aunt said that she thought that her sister might have trouble baring me, but she'd decided firmly against a C-section. So I never really knew my parents. Still, your story is worse than mine because I have my aunt and uncle, and my…brother. You have no one except Itachi-sensei." I was shocked myself--I'd never revealed so much about myself to anyone, much less people I just met. But for some reason, when I saw that look in Sasuke's eyes, I--I just wanted to let him know I understood, if just a little bit.

**So, how'd ya like that? I'm reasonably okay with it. Revealed some stuff about Sakura. So sad!!**

**Temari: I. Wasn't. In. Here. At. ALL!!**

**KisaLycorsis-san: I'm sorry, I'm sorry--I'll include you a lot in the next chapter, I promise!**

**Temari: Okay. Shika-kun too.**

**Shikamaru: -groan- Just what I need….more screen time.**


	8. Twinkies and confessions

**KisaLycorsis-san: Well, you got your wish--er, order-- Temari-chan! You and Shikamaru--in fact, pretty much everyone-- have a much bigger part in this chapter.**

**Temari: Good. Now shine my shoes while I read the disclaimer!**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Yes ma'am! -gets down on hands and knees-**

**Temari: KisaLycorsis-san does not own Naruto. All she has is some manga, the first season, some Shonen Jump magazines, and a pretty poster of Team 7 and Iruka.**

**KisaLycorsis-san: I love it, too! Though my sister tried to rip it down so its not on the wall at the moment--**

**Temari: Shut up and shine, slave, shine!**

**KisaLycorsis-san: TT Yes, ma'am!**

_"You know…we're not so different." I said softly. "You and me. My story's not far from yours."_

_Ino glanced at me in surprise. "What do you mean?"_

_"Well….my mom is actually my aunt. My real mother died giving birth to me. And my dad…he's my uncle. My real dad was a drug addict who bailed when my mom told him she was pregnant. She was only sixteen, and really petite. My aunt said that she thought that her sister might have trouble baring me, but she'd decided firmly against a C-section. So I never really knew my parents. Still, your story is worse than mine because I have my aunt and uncle, and my…brother. You have no one except Itachi-sensei." I was shocked myself--I'd never revealed so much about myself to anyone, much less people I just met. But for some reason, when I saw that look in Sasuke's eyes, I--I just wanted to let him know I understood, if just a little bit_.

No one spoke for several moments. I could feel all their gazes on me, but I didn't look up. I'd immediately stared down at the desk after my confession, and I never wanted to lift my eyes again. Kami, I was so stupid. Like Sasuke's gonna care about my life. I was an idiot.

"I'm…sorry to hear that." My head whipped up at the soft reply, and I stared at Sasuke with wide eyes. He'd--he'd actually--?! I shook my head and smiled. "Like I said, I've got it better than you. No need to be sorry."

"Wow. You're a lot like me, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted happily. Why happily? 'Cause he's always happy. Almost always, anyways. "I never knew my mother! My dad's the only one I've got. He says that my mom died giving birth to me, too! Isn't that weird?! I don't have any siblings, though."

"N-naruto…." I stared at him. He…he'd lost his mother too? Kami….why was he so damn cheerful? "Why're you so damn cheerful?!" I asked aloud. "How can you be so….cool about it?!"

He seemed surprised, and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I guess I've just come to terms with it. I mean, I've still got my dad. He's so awesome! He says that my mom asked that he give me her last name, because she was the last of her clan. My dad is the last too, but I've decided to keep my mom's last name. So that I can remember her every time I say my own, ya know?"

I chuckled softly and stood quite suddenly, giving him a hug just like Hinata's. "Arigato, Naruto." I said, then let go of him. He flushed and grinned, laughing nervously. "You're not gonna cry, are you?" He asked anxiously, and I shook my head. "Nope. Now…..How's it going with Hinata?" I whispered in his ear, and he blushed.

"W-well….I've never really noticed her and all but--oof!!" I decked him in the head and he fell to the ground. "Baka! Whisper!! Don't shout!!" I shrieked, stomping slightly on his back.

"What's going--? Never mind, I don't want to know." Perv-- I mean, Kakashi-sensei walked inside the room and went to his desk, shaking his head. I laughed, then grabbed Naruto and dragged him to his seat, plunking him down in it. "Don't worry Naruto, those wounds aren't serious! The bleeding should stop in a couple of hours!"

"Women…troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed, lifting his head slightly from the desk. "Why do you women always hit us men? It's so….so…"

"Troublesome?" Temari supplied dryly. "Yes." Shikamaru answered innocently, then turned his back on the girl and asked the boy called Choji a question dealing with shogi or something like that.

"And what do you mean, 'men'?" Temari continued. "There are no men in here besides Kakashi-sensei. You're boys."

"I hear that!" Ino sniggered as Shikamaru scowled at Temari. Kakashi-sensei just rolled his eye and said, "Can anyone remember where we left off at Friday?"

Surprisingly, Ino's hand went up. "Um, weren't we discussing the Great Konoha War?"

"Correct. And can you also tell me what caused the war?"

"Eh…." Ino scratched her head nervously and glanced at Shikamaru. "Eh Shika, do you know?"

Shikamaru lifted his head and mumbled something unintelligible. Kakashi-sensei said, "Correct." I raised my eyebrow. Maybe he could understand, but we sure couldn't.

The class carried on, but I didn't pay attention at all. I was too busy getting shivers down my back. And why? Because Sasuke was drilling a hole into the back of my head. With his piercing black eyes; not a real drill, of course.

Yes, I have many chuckles with my witty remarks. Oh ho ho. Funn-ay. Yes…..hilarious. Back to the story.

I was surprised to hear the bell ring. I mean, the time had passed so quickly, even with the staring of a certain Uchiha. I stood with a sigh and once again slung my bag over my shoulder. What a drag….

"Yay, lunch time! Yahoo!" Naruto crowed, standing on his chair. Kiba tugged on his arm. "Come on, idiot, we gotta get to the front of the line!"

"Oh, right!" Naruto turned to me apologetically. "Sakura-chan, could you walk with Hinata-chan? We need to get there fast!"

I smirked. "Whatever. Go." He ran off with a wild whoop, followed by Kiba. Hinata came up beside me and smiled after them. "I-I'm glad they're getting a-along. U-usually, they butt h-heads."

"Yeah, somehow I knew that. Say Hinata," I turned to her with a frown. "Why do you stutter so much? I mean, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with it, but you really should learn to stop it. I mean, Naruto needs a strong person, and you need to learn to stick up for yourself. Who's gonna hit him when he gets out of hand and acts stupid?"

She sighed. "I know. I-I just--I'm not very…confident. A-about myself, I mean."

"Well we're gonna fix that! To help you become more assertive, I will request my girls' help in this matter of extreme importance!" I turned to Ino and grinned. "You, Temari, and Tenten. We shall turn Hinata into one of us!" I laughed evilly, my nose pointed in the air.

Temari chuckled. "Poor Hinata. I'm in."

"Yeah Hinata, you're too cool to be uncool! But then again, being uncool is cool, so does that mean that we'd be making you uncool? I mean, but you're already cool, so would we be hurting your coolness? But if we made you uncool, you would be cool, or uncool. Then again--" Ino cut Tenten off with a smack on her own forehead. "Geez Ten-chan, you're making me confused! Let's just help Hinata out, kay?"

Tenten grinned sheepishly and laughed. "Sorry, Ino. Okay, we'll help you out, Hinata-chan. So that you-know-who will want you so bad he'll pull you into a dark, secluded corner and kiss you madly, and his passionate lips will then--" This time Ino slapped Tenten on the forehead, pausing her tirade. "Seriously Tenten, you say some weird shit sometimes."

"Owwie…" Tenten rubbed her forehead, but grinned all the same. "Yeah, but that's why I'm so loveable."

"Well, I knew there must be a reason Neji loves you. You're everything he's not….including crazy, insane, mad, and you probably look better in a skirt."

"Neji? That guy that has the same eyes as Hinata? You guys are dating?" I asked, feeling left out of the conversation.

"Yeah. H-he's my cousin." Hinanta replied. Tenten just blushed, hiding her face behind her hands and peeking from between her fingers. "Don't talk about it! You know Neji doesn't want Lee to know!"

"Lee? Why not?" Again, out of the loop.

"Because Lee has a gigantic mouth. And his family's good friends with Hinata and Neji's. And Hinata's dad would kill Neji if he found out he was dating Tenten. And even though Lee is sweet and all, he wouldn't be able to keep said mouth closed." Ino supplied conspiratorially, and I nodded and said, "Right. So…no telling Lee?"

"Exactly! Now, let's get to the cafeteria. I'm freakin' starving!" As we walked, laughing and yapping about absolutely nothing, I thought that this was the best school ever. In my old one, I'd only had two friends; Sugo and Shii. They're both guys, and though we had nothing in common whatsoever, I kinda miss them. But all the cool people I'd met so far were just so-so COOL! And it made me feel like I was actually part of a group, ya know?

When we reached our destination, I was shocked at the immenseness of the room. My old school's cafeteria was about one-fourth the size of this one!! And as we passed the tables, I saw that the food looked a hell of a lot better. I could actually identify most of what they were eating!

Ino stopped at an extra large table and plopped into a seat. "Pull up a chair, Sakura-chan! What's mine is yours!"

"I wasn't aware it was yours, Ino." Temari commented with a smirk as she sat on the other side of Ino.

"Well, there's a lot you don't know about me, Temari-chan! For instance, I am…….the most beautiful girl in the whole school!"

"Wrong!" Naruto grinned as he unloaded his arms onto the table. My jaw dropped at the awesome amount of food he'd bought. Just how rich were these people?! I'd brought enough money for a Ho-Ho.

"Oh yeah?! And just WHO do you think is the most beautiful girl in the whole school?!" Ino challenged the blonde with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmmm…..Hinata-chan!"

The girl fell backwards in her chair with a squeak of surprise. As everyone laughed, Naruto jumped up and ran around to her. "Hey, she fainted! Hinata, Hinata, are you okay?! Speak to me, Hinata!!" He took her by the shoulders and shook her ferociously. "Hinata, wake up!!"

She regained consciousness and squinted up at him. "N-naruto-kun…? Eep!" She shrieked and sat up violently, knocking into his forehead and sending him flying backwards. (AN: Just like in that one episode! Hee, I love that one…)

I shook my head at them in consternation. "You people are crazy."

"But that's why you love us, right?" Kiba took the seat on the other side of Ino, dumping yet another huge load of food on the table. My eye twitched as I asked, "How'd you guys get so much food?"

"Oh, my dad's on the school board, so we get free eats. And we share the good fortune!" Naruto grinned at me, and I laughed. Sasuke sat beside me, and I scowled, then shrugged it off. Idiot…

"So do you live with Itachi-sensei?" I asked as I grabbed a Twinkie. Sasuke's eyebrows lifted, as if he hadn't been expecting the question. I unwrapped the dessert and stuffed it in my mouth. Through a mouthful of Twinkie goodness, I said, "Wew? Boo doo?"

"What?" He asked, and I made a face at him. "Boo doo wib wid 'or bwudda?" I repeated insistently, and swallowed.

"Don't talk with your mouthful. Now repeat your question."

I stuck my tongue out at him, and he grimaced. "I said, do you live with your brother?"

"What's it to you? Mind your own business!" He said with a frown. I rolled my eyes. "Aw c'mon, I've already told you so much about my family, you can't even tell me one little thing?!"

"For Kami's sake, just tell her, Sasuke!" Neji half-shouted, and I looked at him in surprise. Well, so Neji, Tenten's boyfriend, is actually a human being with a voice box. Imagine that. "Arigato, Neji….So tell me already, ya antisocial teme!"

Naruto, who'd just gotten up and apologized to Hinata (I mean seriously, why would he apologize? For complimenting her?), said, "Dude, you're such an idiot! Sasuke lives in an apartment by himself; it's right next to my favorite restaurant, Ichiraku's ramen stand!" Hmph, so that's why he'd said ramen, like, twice already today.

"Baka, why'd you tell her that?!" Sasuke scowled at his best friend. I just smiled. "Arigato, Naruto….so you _DON'T_ live with your brother. I wish I lived by myself. I mean, I love my mom and all, but she can be a little….eccentric. And my dad.." I shook my head. "My dad is completely nuts. He's an artist, and he spends all his time in his 'office', only coming out for bathroom breaks and mealtimes."

"An artist?! Wow, are you any good?!" Tenten asked as she unconsciously squeezed Neji's hand.

I let out a bark of laughter that wasn't really humorous. "Me?! No, no, I'm much better at school and danc--" I stopped abruptly in horror. Ah, shit.

"Dancing? You dance?" Ino asked with stars in her eyes. I shook my head. "No, no, I _used_ to dance. But that was years ago, I haven't done it in a long --long time." Yeah, since Daisuke left.

"Who's Daisuke?" Kiba asked confusedly, and I jumped in shock. What the hell, could he read minds?! It was only when I saw the looks on the other's faces that I realized that I must have said the last sentence aloud. I flushed. "W-well, Daisuke's my older brother. The one in my picture. He's nineteen, and he left home three years ago."

"He ran away?! Wait, is he your real brother, or your cousin?!" Ino asked.

"My real brother. He's three years older than me, but he doesn't really remember mom and dad either. And he never got along with my aunt and uncle. So one day, a week after I turned thirteen, he just snapped. He packed his bags and ran off. Actually, I'm not even sure where he is now. I haven't seen him since he left." Again, I'd said too much. Why did I always feel the need to talk to these people?

Hinata looked suspiciously like she had tears in her eyes. "That-that's so s-s-sad!" Okay, maybe they _were_tears.

"It's not so bad, Hinata-chan." I gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll find him again someday. It's our fate."

Sasuke was staring at me strangely, so I sent him a smirk, then grabbed another Twinkie.

"So what class do we have next?" I asked to cover up the silence.

"Gym. It's great, we get to run off some energy and kick each other's ass at the same time!" Kiba exclaimed, and I sweat dropped at the….er…earnestness of his answer. "Right…"

"Anko-sensei will probably already have a uniform for you." Temari said with certainty. "She's creepy like that."

"At least you don't have Gai-sensei!" Shikamaru groaned. "He's mad!"

"GAI-SENSEI IS THE BEST TEACHER EVER!!" Lee jumped into the conversation with fire in his eyes. "HE IS SO YOUTHFUL! YOUTHFUL, YOUTHFUL, YOUTHFUL!"

"Lee worships Gai-sensei." Neji explained at the confused look on my face. "They're a lot alike."

"Great….can't wait for gym!" I laughed nervously…….gym was gonna suck.

**Chapter 8 is finite! Grah, that took awhile….phew!**

**Since you guys are so cool, I'm adding an extra to this chapter. This is just something I thought of while writing the scene in Itachi's classroom, but there was really no room in the original story for it. Still in Sakura's POV, btw. Enjoy**.

Itachi-sensei loomed over his younger brother. "Sasuke, you cannot perform that calculation. Because you lack-" His hand whipped into his pocket and withdrew- "-a scientific calculator!"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I think I did both.


	9. Basketball and bets

**Chapter 9! Ya know, this story doesn't seem to be too popular…only, like, a few reviews on this last chapter…maybe I should give it up.**

**Sasuke: NO!**

**-cricket- -cricket- -cricket-**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Why not?**

**Sasuke: Uh….cuz…uh…**

**Sakura: He wants to get with me, uh-huh.**

**Sasuke: Th-that's not it at all! -cough-**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Okay….well, I'll keep it going anyways. For my adoring fans!!**

**Sakura: What fans--?**

**KisaLycorsis-san: JUST READ THE DISCLAIMER!!**

**Sakura: KisaLycorsis-san does not own Naruto or anything but this story. Now, if you'll excuse me, I promised Sasuke we'd go to the market.**

**Sasuke: Tomatoes! Lots and lots of tomatoes!**

_"Great….can't wait for gym!" I laughed nervously…….gym was gonna suck._

I ate two more Twinkies and felt great. Sugar….well, if I get hyper, it won't matter. Besides, like Kiba said, gym is a chance to burn off energy.

"Alright, let's go! To gym!" I yelled, receiving alarmed looks from several people. Including Sasuke. But a few, like, everyone else, just smiled. Hinata said, "A-alright Sakura-chan. I-I'll take you."

"Arigato, Hinata-chan!" I beamed at her. "You're so cool! Isn't she cool, Naruto?!"

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed enthusiastically, and I hurried Hinata out of the cafeteria before she fainted. She was already dangerously red. "Calm down, Hinata-chan. Tone down the cherry that's your face and you'll be fine."

"A-arigato, Sakura-chan." She replied, then hastily said, "Arigato, Sakura-chan."

"Good job, hon!" I grasped her hand in mine, then began to drag her off. "Eh….Sakura-chan?" She said, and at my "Huh?" continued, "Gym is this way."

"Oh…right!" I let go of her. "You lead the way!"

We got to the gym in plenty of time, and Hinata took me towards a woman with purple hair and a whistle. "Anko-sensei, this is Haruno Sakura. She's new."

"You didn't stammer!" The woman yelled, and everyone in the vicinity turned to stare. Hinata's face once again turned red. "Yes, well…"

"We're trying to help her get rid of it!" I told Anko-sensei brightly.

"Good. Well, we've got an extra uniform for you. Change in the locker room, then come out here and I'll take roll. 'Kay?" She handed me a bundle of clothes from beside her, which made me think that she'd known about me.

Hinata led me to the locker room and then to her corner. Ino and Temari were already dressed, and Tenten was struggling to pull her shorts up over her butt. "I think my butt got twice as big since Friday!" She moaned as she hopped up and down.

"Yeah, probably all that good food Neji feeds you on your dates, right?" Ino teased as she neatly folded her uniform.

"Don't worry, Ten-chan. It's not THAT big." I told her kindly, and she just scowled. "Oh, right. Well…heheh…." I scratched the back of my head like Naruto. "Gomen."

Tenten just laughed. "It's okay."

I sighed with relief and changed into the shirt and pants. The top was white and the shorts were red and black checkered. (Big surprise…) I grimaced at the length of the shorts, but figured that at least, unlike the skirts, it wasn't as easy to see my underwear. When Hinata was finished, we went out into the gym. The guys were already playing basketball, and I smirked at the sight of Sasuke in shorts. Guy shorts, but still shorts….geez, his legs are smooth. What, does he wax or something?

The girls all congregated on the bleachers as Anko-sensei took roll, then she yelled, "Alright, five laps around the gym, then we'll do some basketball!"

Most everyone groaned, but Temari and I cheered. I had a lot of energy to burn, and Temari said that she just loves to run, so we were the first two as the girls set out. We were nose to nose, but both of us were laughing. It felt good to just run.

The five laps went by so fast that we actually did eight before realizing. Temari won; she's so freakin' fast! But she grinned and congratulated me. When Hinata finished, her face was red, but that might have been from Naruto calling out to her. Tenten was right behind me, but Ino was dead last, huffing and puffing, and collapsed in exhaustion at my feet.

"You okay, Ino-chan?" I asked her with a grin. She glared up at me, and took my extended hand. "Ha ha, laugh all you want, Sakura-chan. I will murder you in basketball!"

"Yeah right, Ino-chan….I rule at basketball!" I jabbed her in the chest, and grinned. "I can even beat Sasuke!"

Said Uchiha turned at his name and rolled his eyes. "As if. I would own you."

"Oh yeah?!" I yelled. "You're on! Let's go, you antisocial bastard!"

"Eh…" Naruto tried to inch between us. "Guys can't play girls."

"And why not?! You think you'll beat us?!" Tenten shouted angrily. Neji looked as though he were going to say something, then seemed to think better of it. Good boy.

Anko-sensei stepped in. "Actually, I think a co-ed game will be good for you guys. What do you think, Gai?"

Ooh, big mistake. Include Gai-sensei in the conversation.

"WHY ANKO, YOUR YOUTHFULNESS IS ASTOUNDING! LET OUR STUDENTS COME TOGETHER IN A BATTLE OF YOUTHFULNESS! YOUTHFULL, YOUTHFULL, YOUTHFULL!"

Lee ran up to him with tears streaming down his face. "Gai-sensei…"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei…!"

"Leeeee!" They embraced. I'm pretty sure my left eye was twitching. Then they ran towards a golden sunset--until it fell down.

"Kenneth, I told you to hold it up!" Gai-sensei yelled at a dark haired boy.

The boy called Kenneth just shrugged. "Sorry. It just fell."

Anko-sensei had apparently learned to ignore her fellow teacher, because she was already organizing teams. I smirked at Sasuke and stuck my tongue out. "We'll see who's laughing after the game!" I called to him, then turned and skipped over to Anko-sensei.

I was immediately put in, and frolicked over to the team. It consisted of: Temari, Tenten, Hinata, me, and some girl I don't know, but recall seeing in my classes. She smiled, and I figured she was okay.

"Alright girls…" Anko-sensei said to us. "We've gotta cream these guys. And why…?!"

"Because they're filthy, stinky, pompous, annoying, idiotic boys!" I shrieked, and, though they sweat dropped, the other girls cheered. Anko-sensei said, 'Yes! So go out there and use any means! But if you kick them in the nuts, remember not to do it too hard!"

We did a 'break' thing, then went out onto the court. I found Sasuke with my eyes and found him staring at me. I made a throat-cutting gesture, then pounded my fist into my other hand. He just rolled his eyes and got into position.

The game was rough. I won't describe it in detail because there was a lot of groin kicking, head bashing, and there was an incident with Naruto and the ball….it was a little weird, and I couldn't look him in the eye for the rest of the period.

I will say, though, how the game was won. We were neck in neck in the points, and I had the ball. If you're thinking it was like in those movies when the main character has the ball in the last few seconds, then scores and wins the game and lives happily ever after, then you're wrong.

There I was with the ball; Tenten was covering Neji (quite closely, I might add) and Hinata, though she protested and blushed, was covering Naruto. Temari had nothing to do because Shikamaru was just staring up at the ceiling, as if wishing that he could gaze at the clouds. The other girl had gotten a bloody nose, so Ino had reluctantly come in as her replacement, and she was talking to Kiba, who was staring at her as if wondering if she had brains.

So I had a clear shot….except for a certain antisocial bastard being in my way. Yup. A Mexican standoff between me and Sasuke. I saw a tumbleweed go by.

He's pretty good at blocking, but my best trait is getting beneath people's guards. So I managed to get past him, and I was two feet from the net--I crouched down to shoot--the ball was about to leave my hands when--

Something large tackled me from behind, and I fell atop the ball. This position, by the way, is NOT comfortable.

I wriggled from beneath the large thing, and looked back to see that it was none other than--

"Sasuke! What the heck did you tackle me for?!" I screamed. He got to his feet and dusted himself off with a smirk. "And it's a tie." he said smugly.

"Wha-wha-?! But we still have--" Just then, Anko-sensei sounded the whistle. "Alright guys, time to dress in!"

I glared at him evilly. "You will die in your sleep." I hissed, and my anger spiked when he continued to smirk and just 'hn'-ed. I flounced to the locker room with fire in my eyes, and several girls swerved and twisted themselves into many tricky positions to avoid me.

"That damn Sasuke! And we were just about to win!" Tenten growled. She looked about as angry as I felt, and I figured that she was REALLY obsessed with this kind of thing. Winning, I mean.

"Ah, forget it!" I said as I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it. I think it landed on Ino's head. "We'll get that antisocial bastard back! BELIEVE IT!"

Hinata giggled as I did a sort of jig around the locker room. I shall call it my Sasuke's-dead-hee-hee-laugh-evilly dance.

We eventually got dressed, and when the bell rang, I'd calmed down slightly, but I was still pissed. And when I saw Sasuke again, in sixth period, steam was blowing out of my ears. I stalked to a seat and threw myself down into it.

Unfortunately, the Kid decided to make another show. He sat right in front of me. Again. "You're name's Sakura, right?" He asked, and my eyebrows shot up at his kind tone. Something was fishy.

"Yeah…." I replied cautiously. "Why?"

"No reason. Just…wondering." He grinned, and I was instantly put on guard. This guy is so weird….

"Hey Sakura-chan, you still mad about the tackle-thing?" Naruto came up to my desk, and I could have kissed him. I jumped up with a nervous laugh. "Oh no, not at all! What's that?! You want me to come sit near you guys?! Okay then, bye!" I grabbed my stuff and practically flew to a seat next to Hinata.

Naruto followed at a much slower pace. "Geez Sakura-chan, what was that about?"

"That guy is so creepy!" I groaned as I laid my head upon the cool desktop. "I feel like I've just ran fifteen miles with bricks attached to my shoes!"

Hinata began making fluttery noises of concern, so I immediately put her at ease. Minutes later, our teacher came in. He let out a bark-like laugh. "Alright class, today in Marine Science--"

I had to go up and introduce myself, get a textbook, blah, blah, blah. It was all so boring, and I was so tired, that I fell asleep. I was shaken awake by Naruto seemingly seconds later, but I looked at the clock and saw that it was 2:30. I stood drowsily, and grabbed my bag. "Yay, school's out. Hurray."

Hinata smiled sweetly and said, "Do you need help getting home, Sakura-chan?"

"Well, actually, yeah. My mom's a ditz, so she'll probably come to get me at nine. Why, do you ride the bus?" Heck, do they_ have_ buses at this school?

"Oh no. My chauffer comes to pick Neji and I up. We could drop you off." She replied, and I anime crashed to the floor. "Ch-chauffer?! You have a chauffer?!"

She blinked. "Well, yeah. Don't you?"

Ino sighed at my stupidity. "Yes, Sakura-chan, a chauffer. You know, a guy that drives you around?"

"Yes, Ino-chan, I know what a chauffer is!" I glared at her reproachfully. "I'm not dumb! I just--I've never heard of a chauffer picking up a student from school."

"My dad picks me up!" Naruto chipped in. "But Sasuke drives his motorcycle."

My eyes lit up, even though I was still furious at the bastard. "A motorcycle? I used to have one, but I--uh…." I paused. What could I say? 'I sold it for my brother's bus ticket?' No, no, better think up something quick. "Uh, my mom made me leave it back in Musoraghe. It was awesome though, I miss it." I hadn't ridden one in three years.

"Well, maybe you could ride with Sasuke--"

"NO!" Sasuke and I yelled simultaneously. "No way!" I continued. "I don't wanna ride with such an antisocial bastard!"

"Yeah, she couldn't handle my ride anyways." Sasuke agreed, and I swiveled on him angrily. "Oh yeah? You wanna bet?!"

"How much?" He asked, and I yelled, "However much you want!"

"Alright…how about…" He named an amount that I'm sure was more than my mom's paycheck. I paled, then grinned confidently. "You're on, teme!"

Okay. So now I have to ride on a motorcycle with Sasuke. Shouldn't be too difficult. Right.

I followed him outside, and then gaped at the size of his bike. "Uh…your bike's small!" I covered up my astonishment with an insult. It worked. He scowled. "Just put on the helmet."

He handed me a black helmet, and as I strapped it on, I admired his bike. It really was beautiful; it was black, really shiny. Swoon.

He got on, and I hesitated, for the first time realizing that I would have to touch him. His waist. His back. Oh Kami.

"What's wrong? Get on." Sasuke said, then smirked. "Unless you can't handle it."

That got my attention. I smiled and gave a bright, "As if!" Then I got up on the bike. It felt so good to sit on the seat of a motorcycle again. And, though I won't admit it aloud, placing my arms around Sasuke's middle felt good, too. In face, once he started it up, I sighed as I laid my head against his back.

If he felt this, then he gave no outward show of it, and just took off. The wind against my face, and the vroom of the engine, and the SPEED, was just too much. I might have actually moaned in delight. And he might have heard it, because his hands tightened on the handles.

All in all, the ride was much too short. Or that's what I thought. When he pulled over, I blinked, then sat up. "Uh, Sasuke, this isn't my house!" I shouted over the motor.

"I know. You haven't told me where you live!" He answered in annoyance, and I sweat dropped. "Oh, right." I gave him quick, loud directions, and he pulled the bike back onto the road.

When we finally reached my house, I reluctantly got up from the seat and grabbed the bag I'd tucked in the basket at the back of the bike. "Well, looks like I won the bet!" I grinned as he sighed and made to take out his wallet. "Forget the money. Just don't ever tackle me again!" And without a backward glance, I pranced up the walk to my house.

I reached into my pocket--and my eyes widened. "Shit!"

Sasuke must have sensed my distress, because he turned the bike off. "What's wrong?" He called up to me.

I began frantically searching through my pockets. "No, no, no, where's the stupid key, it's gotta be here--"

"You lose your key?" He asked wisely, and I wailed, "Yes!! Now I'm locked out!!"

"Well, you could come to my place." He offered, and my jaw dropped. "WHAT?!"

**Ooh la la……I love motorcycles. I want one! Anyways, that's Chapter 9. Review, please! Don't be annoying and just read and bypass me. I need__love, too! Show me the love!**


	10. I'm not going to sleep with you!

**I just want to clarify something. No, I am NOT quitting this story; that was a joke, and I'm deeply sorry if I caused panic amongst my reviewers. I'm talking to you, PharoahsDancer! I won't give up on a story, for that is my nindo; my ninja way!**

**Sorry, I had to say that. Anyways, ……YAY! Over fifty reviews! I'm so freakin' happy! Can I get a woot woot?! ….alright, no woot woot. But thanks to all you reviewers, you have no idea how happy it makes me to come on here and see new reviews! And no flamers! Wow!**

**And ChristinaAngel asked to know more about how Tenten and Neji are dating but can't tell Lee. Well basically they can't tell Lee because his folks are good friends with Neji's, and--well, there'll be more about in later chapters, kay? That okay with you guys? Can ya wait?**

**And special thanks to anime-sama27 for offering to proofread and stuff. Arigato!!**

**And Sasuke--**

**Sasuke: Why do I have to be so nice! I should leave her on the curb!**

**Sakura: Come on, you know you want me to stay with you. Don't deny it.**

**Sasuke: Hn**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Eh….disclaimer?**

**Sasuke: KisaLycorsis-san does not own Naruto, but I wish she'd stop making me look like an idiot!**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Sasuke, you ignore a girl who clearly loves to hell out of you, hate a best friend who's like a brother to you, and left Konoha to live with a pedophile who wants your body. I don't think I have to MAKE you look like an idiot.**

"You lose your key?" He asked wisely, and I wailed, "Yes!! Now I'm locked out!!"

"Well, you could come to my place." He offered, and my jaw dropped. "WHAT?!"

I stared at him with my jaw on the ground. No, it was literally on the ground. Because I'd fallen in shock at his offer. Now, as I got to my feet, I said, "Are you crazy?! I-I don't even KNOW you! I can't stay with you!!"

"Well, it looks like you're gonna have to." He said, then pointed at my door. I turned and saw a fluttering sheet of notebook paper attached with tape to the wood. I snatched it off and read it with growing panic.

Sakura,

I'm sorry it's such short notice, but I have to go out of town for a conference. I'll be back next Tuesday, and I know you'll be fine by yourself. I bought some more groceries before I left, so you should be fine until I get back. I love you, and I'm glad you grabbed your extra key off the counter before leaving this morning.

See ya next Tuesday,

Mom

I slammed my fist into the door and cursed. "Damnit! How can she just leave me alone for a week?! And I didn't grab my key, I was too busy worrying about my stupid first day at my new stupid school! I hate you, Konoha!"

Sasuke grinned at my conflict. "So you're locked out for a week, huh?" I shrieked; when had he come up behind me?!

"Yeah, but it's cool. I'll just….sleep on my doorstep!" I proclaimed proudly, but without feeling. My will was already weakening and I could feel it. "Besides, how can I trust you? I mean, for all I know, you could just be trying to get me alone so you can slip me a date drug, rape me, then cut my limbs off and stuff them into a garbage disposal!"

His look said it all. I had officially gone insane. "I'm not gonna rape you. I'm trying to help you out. You can't sleep on your doorstep. What if a hobo comes along and fights you for it?"

"Then….I'll kung-fu him?" I replied hesitantly.

He snorted. "Just come on. I have a nice and warm guest bed at my place for you. Compared to a cold doorstep, it sure sounds inviting, doesn't it?"

Damn it; somehow he knew I was still sleepy from before. My yawn betrayed me, and I didn't even try to cover it. Too tired. Where had all that energy gone? Oh, right. Sugar rush is followed by sugar crash. "Alright, I'll go with you. But don't expect me to sleep with you!"

He just shook his head and went back to his bike. On the ride I almost fell asleep once more, despite the loud noise. It seemed like in no time we were there, and I didn't even look up, just dragged myself off the bike and up the walk behind him. I did notice that a valet came to park his bike. I mean, come on, a valet for a motorcycle?! That's crazy!

Still, at least we got into his apartment building without having to park it. I didn't see anything around me; I was that drowsy. I barely remember getting into the elevator, then walking down a hallway, watching Sasuke dig around in his bag, unlock a door, then push me in.

The next thing I knew, I was being shoved onto a nice, fluffy marshmallow--at least, it felt like a marshmallow. Then I was covered in something warm, and the lights went out.

When I awoke, my first thought was, 'When the hell did I get such a comfy bed?' Then I remembered; the first day, Sasuke, the motorcycle, then me being locked out of my house and coming home with him. Wait, what?!

I sat up like a jack-in-the-box. I heard an angry hiss and fell sideways; it's too bad that the bed wasn't against the wall. I ended up on the floor. And it was NOT comfy.

Hurried footsteps, then Sasuke burst inside the room. "What's going on?!" he asked anxiously, and I sat up, moaning. "Something attacked me and I bruised my butt." I replied.

"Oh." He sounded almost amused now. "That was Spell. She's my cat."

My eyebrows shot up a mile off my forehead. "You have a cat?! A female cat?! Named Spell?!"

"What's wrong with that?" He asked defensively, and I grinned evilly. "Nothing, nothing. It's just….you come off as a bad boy, and bad boys don't have female felines named Spell."

"Well, I do." He picked up a ball of black fur and I realized that it was a cat. No, a kitten. "Aw, she's so cute! Now I know why you named her Spell!" I stood and cautiously approached boy and cat. Who would bolt first? Ha ha….

"Gomen nasai, Spell…..I didn't know you were there. Forgive me?" I held out my hand to her, and she sniffed delicately for a second, then purred. "She purred, she purred! Oh, she likes me!" I squealed.

In fact, she liked me so much that she jumped into my arms from Sasuke's and snuggled against my warmth. "Awwwww………..!"

Then Sasuke made a clicking noise with his tongue and she gave me one last purr, then went back to him and snuggled into HIS warmth. Traitor. "How did you make her do that?!" I asked in amazement, and slightly in jealousy.

He shrugged. "I trained her. She eats her food, drinks her water, takes baths once a week without complaint, meows when I say meow, sleeps when I sleep, and uses her litter box periodically. She's not perfect, but we're working on it, aren't we, Spell?"

I stared at him in shock. "No cat can be that perfect; how could she get better?! How-how did you train her to do that stuff?! Did you put her through boot camp or something?!"

"No. That's not until she's three months old." He said matter-of-factly, and I thought he was kidding--then I saw the serious expression on his face. "Y-you can't be serious! You can't be so mean to the poor kitty! You cruel thing!"

"I'm not being cruel; she's my property and she must be trained."

I shook my head in anger. "She's not your property, she's your pet! I can't believe you'd be so self-centered!" I went to stalk past him, then doubled back. "And what I'm saying is no reflection on the fact that you're letting me stay here and I'm eternally grateful! They're completely different issues!"

"Right." He was smiling now, and as I walked past, I couldn't help but smile, too. Then I stopped in horror. I whirled back to him and yelled, "Dear Kami, you're wearing boxers!"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Yes. Yes I am."

"Don't make a joke about that stuff! You're half naked and-and-" What else could I say? 'You're half naked and so sexy I wanna jump your bones' ?!

"-and I'm repulsed by it!" I finished finally, and it apparently was too late. He grinned. "Is this like the bottle incident? Saying you were repulsed but actually meaning you're turned on?"

I was at a loss for words. Finally, I just gave a loud 'Hmph!' and walked out the door. "Just put some clothes on!"

"This is my apartment." He said as he followed me as I gazed around the hallway. "You're lucky I haven't taken a shower yet. Usually I walk around in nothing but a towel--"

"T.M.I!" I shouted, covering my ears. "I can't hear a word you're saying, Sasuke, I'm sorry!"

"Whatever." He thankfully changed the subject. "You hungry?"

"No!" I stated defiantly--then my stomach growled. I hung my head in shame. "Yes."

"Good." Sasuke smirked. "Because I made dinner."

I followed him into a kitchen larger than my bedroom and sat at a table as large as my bed as he prowled through the cabinets, as if not quite sure where his dishes were. After five minutes of this, he managed to locate two plates, two cups, and efficient silverware. Placing these things on the table, he then went to the stove, where I now noticed something was cooking.

I arranged our dinner things as he brought several dishes full of food over to the table. My eye twitched slightly as I asked, "You cooked all this? Why?"

He looked at me disdainfully. "I figured you'd be hungry. I usually don't cook so much."

"Awwww! You cooked this for me?! You're so sweet!" I made a kissy face at him, then grabbed a bowl of some weird brown stuff that looked horrible and smelled heavenly. I dished a bunch of everything onto my plate, then picked up my fork. I brought a bite to my mouth, and clamped down over it. "Oh Kami!" I moaned as the flavor exploded on my tongue. "Who the hell taught you to cook?!"

He looked up from his own plate with a frown. "My mother. I think it's okay."

"This isn't okay! This is ecstasy!! Geez, your mom must've been an awesome cook! I can't believe you can make something like this!!" I leaned across the table and stared at him with my heart in my eyes. "Marry me! Cook for me! Bear my babies!"

"What?"

"Dunno, it's a line I got from a movie. I guess it's a little different for a girl to say it than a man. Anyways, you're a terrific cook!" I yelled with a girlish squeal that was so totally NOT me. Something about him made me into some kind of--kinda of--GIRL.

Sasuke just shook his head at me. "Whatever. Just eat."

I huffed, but obeyed and we ate in silence, the only sound the clinking of our silverware against the porcelain plates. When we were both finished, Sasuke put our dishes in the dishwasher as I put away the leftovers. Oh no wait, there WERE no leftovers. I ate every god dam bite. Staying with him is gonna make me gain twenty pounds.

I sat at the table sipping my apple juice and staring at his butt--I mean, the cabinet next to his butt-- as he put the soap in the little soap thingy and closed the door, turning the dishwasher on. "You know, it's common courtesy to wear clothes around a lady." I said conversationally as I stared at his blue-cotton covered rear--I mean, the cabinet next to his blue-cotton covered rear.

He straightened, then looked at me over his shoulder. "You're my guest. Not my master." He replied, then began to wipe down the counter. I glared at his bare back. "I said it's common courtesy; I didn't tell you to do anything!"

"Yeah, but you meant to, didn't you? It was a, what do you call it, a subtle hint? Only it wasn't so subtle."

I sighed and leaned my head back. "Look, this arguing thing is getting us nowhere. Thank you for letting me stay here. I'm really grateful. And I don't want our whole time here together to be fussy. So, let's call a truce, 'kay?"

He turned around to face me. "Sakura." He said. "Yeah?" I replied. He smirked. "I'm still not putting clothes on."

"Grrawrr!" I roared angrily and nearly overturned the table. "You are so frustrating! Why can't you just put something on?!"

"Why're you making such a big deal out of it?" He asked dryly as he sat down across from me.

"Because--because--I don't know, but you don't have to be so patronizing!" I pouted, my arms crossed over my chest. He stood and walked over to my side, and before I knew it, he'd placed a kiss on my forehead and walked away. "H-hey-!" I yelped, a fiery blush spreading across my cheeks as my hand automatically went up to lightly touch the invisible mark.

He looked back over his shoulder with a smirk. "Good night, Sakura. You should sleep; it's gonna be another long day tomorrow." And he just crossed into the living room nonchalantly, and I heard a door shut down the hall.

"That guy! Kissing my forehead like some kind of weirdo!" I kept muttering to myself as I finished my juice, then made my way back to the guest bedroom. It was probably all I could do at the moment. The feeling of his warm lips on me still sent shivers down my spine.

I climbed into the bed with a yawn; I was tired AGAIN. Bummer. I was asleep within minutes of turning off the light.

I'm not sure what awoke me. I just sat up as suddenly as if someone had blown a whistle in my ear. I groaned groggily and turned to flip the light switch. But I didn't feel it. Confused, I searched around some more, until I felt something warm and--wait, warm?

The lights flipped on just then, and I blinked at the sudden change, then squinted up to see--

"AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!"

Sasuke winced as my scream rent the air. "Be quiet! Geez, it's too early for this!" He growled.

I glared up at him. "What are you doing in my room?!" I shrieked.

"Uh, hello, that's my line."

I looked around, then blanched. Sasuke was in the bed, covers pulled up to his waist, his hair gloriously rumpled and his eyes heavy with sleep. Then I looked around the room again. The walls were a pretty dark blue, and though the room was simple in it's decor, I loved it. But what was weird was….."This…isn't…..my room..?"

"Right." He sighed. I stood and placed my hands on my hips. "So what am I doing in here? I told you I won't sleep with you!"

The look he gave me practically screamed 'moron'. "I don't wanna sleep with you. You came in here."

For the second time in as many minutes, I blanched. "Oh….I, uh…..have a little problem….when I'm in a new place, I….sleepwalk."

"Sleepwalk?" He repeated incredulously, as if he didn't believe me.

"Yes, I sleepwalk. Anyways, sorry about this." I shivered. It was really cold in here. "Why's it freezing in here? My lips are turning blue!" I didn't know if that was true, but it must have been, because he sighed in defeat. "Alright. Get in."

I blinked. "Get in what?'

"Get on the bed. You're gonna freeze. And there's a lock on my bedroom door. I'll lock it so you can't sleepwalk anymore. Okay? I don't want you accidentally stabbing yourself or me with a fork or something." He said all this calmly.

My eyes lit up. "Really?!" Without waiting for an answer, I leapt atop his bed, and giggled as I bounced slightly. "Ooh, a water bed! I love water beds!"

He scooted over, then wrapped the covers around his waist and slid off the bed. "Eh, whatcha doin', Sasuke?" I asked curiously as he went and locked the door, then headed towards another door.

"Nothing. I just have to go to the bathroom." He replied, but I wrinkled my nose disbelievingly. "Then why'd you take the quilt--? Oh Kami, are you naked?!"

His twitching eye told me I'd hit the nail on the head. "So what if I sleep in the nude? It IS my apartment, after all…."

I just shook my head. "Whatever. Go put some clothes on!"

After he shut the bathroom door behind him, I moaned and rubbed my heated face into the cool exterior of the bed. And tried not to think of Sasuke sleeping in this exact same spot, NAKED, just minutes before….

**Ooh la la! Ya know, I've been thinking. Lemon. I wanna write a lemon. But I'm not sure if it's appropriate for this story. I mean, they are only sixteen, and still in high school. Do you guys think it would ruin the tone of the story? Well, review anyways. And sorry this chapter's so late.**


	11. Perverts, matchmaking, and the Bitch

**Chapter 11! Okay, you guys have convinced me. There shall be a lemon in this story! But not right away. I mean, some may argue against this, but to just meet someone and then have sex with them is just….a little weird. So maybe at the end of the week, ja?**

**Oh, and to DarkAngelRakell…..Well, I'M SIXTEEN AND I'M IN HIGH SCHOOL! Seriously, I mean, I don't know how many other sixteen year olds have sex, but this sixteen year old sure hasn't!! Yet……**

**Thanks to all my reviewers! Especially my returning customers. And new people!**

**Sasuke: What's a lemon?**

**Sakura: -grins evilly- I could show you if you want, Sasuke-kun….**

**Sasuke: Really? Wow, thanks, Sakura, you're the best!**

**Sakura: -begins to drag Sasuke off- KisaLycorsis-san does not own Naruto or anything but this story. Now, excuse me while I go rape--I mean--show Sasuke what a lemon is.**

**KisaLycorsis-san: -sweatdrops- I don't know if I should feel sorry for Sasuke or not…..**

After he shut the bathroom door behind him, I moaned and rubbed my heated face into the cool exterior of the bed. And tried not to think of Sasuke sleeping in this exact same spot, NAKED, just minutes before….

When I heard the bathroom door creak open, I immediately looked up and blushed at the sight of him, yet again, in boxers. But at least he wasn't naked…. "Well, at least you're not naked." I said aloud, and he snorted disdainfully. "Just be thankful I'm courteous. If I wasn't, then I'd put your ass back out in the hall, lock my door, and let you stab yourself with a fork."

I stuck out my tongue, then snatched the covers out of his hand. "Come on already, I'm cold!" I whined, and he sighed, then got onto the bed beside me. I instantly knew why the room was so cold. His body was like a furnace! "You're hot." I told him honestly, not realizing until after I'd said it what he'd take it as. Sure enough, a smirk unfurled on his face. "Oh really?"

"Shut up, you know what I meant!" I playfully elbowed him in the side. "No wonder the room's so cold. But it's still freezing, so I'm gonna snuggle beneath these covers and you're going to just have to be hot for the rest of the night, 'kay?"

He didn't say another word, but I instinctually knew that he was smirking at my back as I rolled over to face the wall. But surprisingly, I fell into a deep, deep sleep and when I awoke, the sun was struggling to poke between the closed shutters on his window. I blinked groggily, then blushed.

Both of us had rolled over in our sleep, so that we were face to face. His chin was resting atop my head, and my face was against his neck. I breathed in the scent of warm male, and it caused little flutter flies in my chest. His arms were wrapped around my waist, and my knees were bent, my feet, seeking heat during the night, were between his legs, lying against his calves. My fingers, for some wild reason, were entwined with his on his stomach, and a fiery blush lit my face as I realized that his were stroking mine. He was awake, too.

He smiled-yes, smiled- at me when my head shot up. "Good morning, Miss Rolls-over-while-she's-sleeping." He greeted me.

I flushed. "Eh….uh….that is…..I…roll over when I sleep?" Why did that sound like a question?

He snorted. "That's what I just said. Now come on. We slept a little late, and--" He frowned. "Wait, all your clothes are at your house. You're gonna have to wear your dirty uniform."

I groaned at the thought of the grungy material against my skin. "Aw man, and I wanted to take a shower, too!"

"Okay, we'll do this; You go take a shower, and I'll hurry up and throw your stuff in the washer. It's really fast, so they'll be done by the time you're out. Then you can wear something of mine until they're dry. Okay?"

I smiled thankfully. "Arigato, Sasuke. You're being really nice this morning. It must have been waking up with a gorgeous girl like me!" I tossed my hair arrogantly.

"No. I'm just glad that you woke up so I wouldn't have to smell your breath anymore." He left before I could begin screaming, and, deprived of a victim, I took out my frustration verbally against his wall.

Suffice it to say, I was still slightly miffed when he returned. I'm not sure why he left in the first place….maybe to give me time to work over my fury. "Alright, here's a shirt and a pair of--"

"--boxers?" I finished dryly as he fished around in his drawers. He picked out a black shirt and black boxers and handed them to me. "Yes. Now go in the bathroom and take off your clothes, and I'll wash them. Hand them to me through the door."

I saluted. "Yes sir, Captain, sir!" I marched to the bathroom, grabbing the proffered clothes and shutting the door behind me. I took no time to admire the awesome size of the room I was in, simply unbuttoning my shirt, slipping out of my skirt, unclasping my bra, wriggling out of my panties, and, hopping on one foot, taking my socks off. My shoes and jacket Sasuke had removed before letting me go to bed the afternoon before. I took a dark blue towel from a neatly folded stack and draped it across my front, then went to the door. "Here are my clothes, Sasuke!" I yelled, and he was immediately before me. "Here." I handed over the ball of clothing. "Now, you're sure it'll be done before school?" I asked worriedly. He rolled his eyes and said, "Yes. You have my word." He went to turn away, then paused. "Oh, and Sakura?"

"Yeah?" I replied in confusion. He smirked. "Nice butt."

"Huh?" I looked behind me and yelped. "Sasuke, why didn't you tell me there was a mirror directly behind me?!"

He shrugged. "I was enjoying the view."

"Get out!" I slammed the door in his face. My face was so red it was steaming, but then I cooled down and grinned. So the Uchiha WAS a perv, hm?

The thought stayed with me as I hopped into the shower. There were multiple bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and I searched through them. "Manly Man, Be A Man, Smell Like A Man, Strawberry Passionfruit, Essence of Male--wait, Strawberry Passionfruit?" I picked up the bottle and grinned. "So Sasuke does like the smell of strawberries…." Recalling the bottle incident the day before, I flushed.

Needless to say, that's the one I used. And the conditioner. For my body I used some good smelly stuff he had, and a luffa that I didn't want to think about him using on his body, too.

When I was done, I quickly dried off and used his blow dryer. I didn't really dwell on the thought of why Sasuke owned a hair dryer ( and several expensive hair products--I mean, his hair is a little TOO perfect) and just dried my hair. Then I picked up his brush and worked through the tangles; all in all it took about three minutes. Then I pulled on the clothes Sasuke had given me. The shirt was a little short somehow; it showed a little of my midriff. The boxers hung down past my knees, however, and I grinned at my reflection before going out the door and bouncing to the kitchen.

Sasuke was in the midst of dishing scrambled eggs and crispy bacon onto two plates when I came in, and he didn't even look up. "Your stuff is in the dryer as we speak; eat your breakfast."

I grinned; nothing could spoil my mood, even an antisocial--okay, I think you get it. "Yes, sir!" I saluted him again, then plopped down into the proffered chair and sniffed the food. "Ooh, smells good! Arigato, Sasuke-kun!"

He had just taken a swallow of orange juice, but at my words, he spit it out all over the floor. I wrinkled my nose as he got a mop from the pantry beside the fridge and wiped it up, glaring at me. "What the hell did you call me that for?!" He growled.

I looked up all innocent. "Whatever do you mean, Sasuke-kun?"

"Erg, stop saying that!" He yelled, the mop swinging around wildly. I grinned again. "Stop saying what, Sasuke-kun?"

The anger whooshed out of him as suddenly as it had come. He lowered the mop and sighed, "Call me whatever you want." He turned away to put the mop away, and I swore I heard him mumble something.

"What was that, Sasuke-kun?" I asked. He closed the pantry door, then turned back to me with a cute smirk that made me want to call him my squishy. "I didn't say anything….Sakura-chan."

"WHAT!" I shrieked, the plate of eggs and bacon almost crashing to the floor as I stood swiftly. "THAT'S NOT FAIR, SASUKE-KUN! I'M TEASING YOU; YOU CAN'T THROW MY TECHNIQUES BACK AT ME!"

The rest of the time did not go well. I was screaming and Sasuke was smirking, and I was so happy when the timer on the dryer went off. I grabbed the clothes Sasuke handed to me, then stalked into his bedroom, then to his bathroom. Still fuming for reasons of which I'm not quite sure, I pulled on my clothes, having to stop periodically to rezip my skirt or rebutton my shirt because I was thinking about HIM.

I hate him. I really do. And I'm not saying this just because I'm trying to hide the fact that I like him, I really mean it. Right.

My thoughts don't sound too confident, so I've decided to stop thinking. I left my hair down, though I knew it looked haphazard, and ran back out to the kitchen. I didn't have my 'stuff', so I couldn't beautify myself, and I knew that I looked kinda grungy. But when I got into the kitchen and saw Sasuke, he was staring at me really strangely.

He's a strange guy, but this look was really weird. Like……weird. He was looking me up and down like some….perv or something. Gasp!

"Stop ogling me, you pervert!" I shouted at him. He started, then looked up at my face. "Huh?" He said stupidly, and I shook my head. "Never mind. C'mon, let's go already!"

He looked pointedly down at himself, and I noticed that--"You're not even dressed yet!" How could the idiot forget to get dressed?!

He scratched the back of his head lazily. "Oh yeah. Well, Miss Hogs-the-bathroom, I'll go get ready. Drink your juice, you need nourishment." As he walked out, I shouted, "Are you calling me skinny?! How dare you!"

By the time he came back, my juice was drunk and my shoes were on my feet. I ignored his sexy droopy eyes and his sexy hair and his sexy body and said, "'Bout time! C'mon, we're gonna be late!"

"Keep your skirt on." He suddenly smirked. "Or not, whichever."

I flushed at this frankly perverted comment and stalked past him with my nose in the air. Unfortunately, it didn't work well, because I stumbled over my own feet. His hand shot out and caught my arm, and I fell into him. It actually felt surprisingly good to be pressed against his hot and--Whoa, naughty thoughts, naughty thoughts!

I pulled away, my cheeks red. "That didn't happen." I said stiffly as I went past him, and I swear I heard him chuckle before following me. I grabbed my pack and went out the door, watching as he locked it, then we walked down the hallway to the elevator. I felt a little thrill in my stomach as we rode down several floors, then walked out into the lobby. The receptionist made a face at us as we passed, and I almost grinned at the jealous woman.

The valet brought around Sasuke's motorcycle (seriously, a valet for a motorcycle is so cool! I mean, weird.) and I got on behind him, placing the black helmet atop my head as he did the same. When he revved the motor, the feeling of speeding along on my bike came back to me and I laughed aloud. He heard and turned his head slightly, but didn't say anything, to which I was grateful. He's okay when he wants to be.

We made it to school in record time, and I rushed inside….and then remembered I didn't have a clue where I was going. I turned back to Sasuke, who'd parked his bike and followed me. "Where's Kakashi-sensei's classroom again?" I asked, and he rolled his eyes. "Can't you do anything for yourself?"

"Nope!" I chirped back, and followed as he led me in what I assumed was the right direction. Then I heard, "SAKURA-CHAN!"

Naruto ran up to us with a cheerful smile. I noted that Hinata walked, more slowly, behind him, and grinned. As he came up beside me, I nudged him with my elbow and said, "Good work, tiger. Go get her!" I wiggled my eyebrows for good measure.

His face turned pink. "Shh, she'll hear you! I'm trying to think of a good way to ask her on a date!" He whispered. My eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh, I have the puurrrfect idea!" I exclaimed, not catching the sudden paling of Naruto's face.

"Eh…that's okay, Sakura-chan. You're done so much already, and--" I cut him off with a light smack to the top of his head. "Shut up! Boys always mess these things up!"

I turned to Hinata brightly. "Ohayo, Hinata-chan! How are you on this fine, lovely morning?"

She smiled. "Ohayo, Sakura-chan. I-I'm great. And you?"

I held in a grimace at the slip of stutter and replied, "Not so good! Naruto has just informed me that he is failing all his classes!"

"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted in confusion, and Hinata gasped. "Oh Naruto-kun, that's horrible!"

"Yes. Yes it is." Naruto was running around in circles, so I decked him then continued. "And he asked if I would tutor him, but sadly, I'm unable to at the present time. Such a tragedy. If only some smart girl would agree to tutor him. Someone who knew a lot and could give up a lot of her free time for him; every afternoon, just the two of them. Maybe that brunette --"

"I'll tutor him!" She interrupted immediately, and I beamed. "Wow, Hinata-chan! Way to step up and help your fellow student! Isn't this wonderful, Naruto? And you will have to spend so much time working on this!"

Naruto had gotten up and was about to protest, but at my last comment, he stopped, dumbfounded, then grinned. "Oh…..Arigato, Hinata-chan! You're such a cool person!" At my glare, he added, "A-and pretty, too!"

Hinata blushed a pretty pink, and I silently congratulated her on not fainting. "Y-you're welcome, Naruto-kun. Would you like to start t-today?"

"Yes! Absolutely! Definitely! Right?" Naruto whispered this last part to me, and I nodded in satisfaction. Just then, the morning bell rang.

I was fairly pleased all the way to homeroom, even giving the Kid a jaunty wave on the way to my seat. I sat and hummed to myself as the others filed in, and didn't notice Ino arrive until she said, "Sakura?"

I turned to her and grinned. "Ohayo, Ino-chan!" I greeted cheerfully, and her tone was slightly suspicious as she asked, "What're you so happy about?"

"Lean in closer." She did, and I whispered my success story in her ear. Her grin mirrored mine. "Oh……good work, Sakura-chan….."

"I live to be a matchmaker!" I sighed dramatically.

Kakashi-sensei walked in, and the class fell silent for a full second, then the volume increased once more. I barely heard over the roar, "Sakura and Sasuke, front and center."

I stood nervously. Had the school somehow found out about my 'situation'? Sasuke followed me up to the front. "Y-yes, Kakashi-sensei?"

He eyed us for a moment, then said, "Deidara has informed me that you two had an after school detention yesterday and didn't show up. Is this true?"

I let out the breath I'd unconsciously been holding in and almost smiled. "I forgot, Sensei."

Sasuke made a noise of assent, and Kakashi-sensei sighed. "Alright. Due to the fact that you forgot, you two will have detention after school for the rest of the week."

"Wha--?!" I wailed, while Sasuke mumbled something that sounded like 'troublesome'.

I stomped back to my seat and flopped down, my good mood vanishing like a puff of fresh air in a room full of smoke. "This blows!" I moaned.

"Wh-what's wrong, Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked, and I told her. "Oh….." She looked deeply troubled, so I flashed her a grin and a "No worries!"

Temari slid into her seat a millisecond later, and everyone looked to her in surprise. "You're late." Ino commented.

The dirty blonde didn't answer, just put her head down on the desk. Shikamaru's head raised from his own to stare at her. "What's wrong, Temari?" He asked.

She mumbled something, and he sighed. "I can't understand you if you don't pick your head up."

Temari finally lifted her head, and I saw her eyes were rimmed in red, and her nose resembled a tomato. She sniffed heavily and said in a thick, heavy voice, "Nubbings wong, otay? I'm dust fick!"

Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome woman…..go home."

"Mo!" She brushed the hair out of her eyes and peered up at him blearily. "I'b thine. I dust hab to-to--ACHOO!" She sneezed violently, and he rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, you're sick and need to go home. You're gonna get us all sick, too."

She hung her head uncharacteristically. "I knobe. But I dome hab a ride--ACHOO!"

He sighed once again. "I'll take you, okay? Get your stuff." He stood.

"Really?" She stared up at him in surprise. "You'd help me?"

"I just don't want anyone else to get sick. Now hurry up." Even as he said this, I saw a telltale pink flush cross his cheeks and giggled silently as they filed out of the room.

"Can they just leave like that?" I questioned, and Naruto shrugged. "I guess. Since Temari's dad is on the school board like mine, she's got pretty much a free reign. Isn't it cool?"

"Hn, at my old school, I'd get suspended just for thinking of going home." I replied dryly. "It sucked. We-"

A high-pitched squeal interrupted me, and a red blur whirling past me almost knocked me from my chair. It latched itself onto Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, I missed you so much! Did you miss me?! Oh, don't worry, Karin-chan will never leave her Sasuke-kun behind ever again!"

Ino slapped herself in the face. "Oh great. The bitch is back."

"Huh?" This was my articulate comment.

"That's Karin. She's always throwing herself at Sasuke like a bitch in heat. It's really quite disgusting to watch, actually." She explained, not even bothering to whisper. And I recalled Kurenai mentioning Karin the day before.

The redhead wasn't ugly, but I found the fact that she was draped over Sasuke like a fur coat disturbing. She had turned towards Ino at her comment and scowled. 'What was that, you blonde bitch?"

"I believe she called you 'a bitch in heat', at least that's what I heard. I mean, you may not have heard it, seeing as you're so much farther away and not in the conversation." I said, eyeing the short distance between us.

She flushed red as her hair and stood to her full height, which wasn't very impressive. "And who the fuck are you?" She snarled.

I raised my eyebrow. "Oh, me? I'm Santa Claus. This is the Easter Bunny and Cupid." I pointed to Ino and Tenten. "And this is the Sandman." That was Gaara. "Shall I stop, or should I continue to name your classmates off to you?"

She was really swelling up in anger now. If my sarasm was doing this to her, then how would she react if she found out I was staying with and sleeping in the same bed as her precious Sasuke-kun?

I couldn't wait to find out.

**That's Chapter 11! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, especially Royal Azura, who's reviewed so many times that I can't count them!**

**And the whole Karin bashing thing….I mean, who really likes her? She's such a whore in the manga. I don't understand why Sasuke doesn't just kill her. I wouldn't have been able to hold out so long.**

**Anyways, Peace and Love from KisaLycorsis-san!!**


	12. A new project! That is so sexist!

**Alright, this is the twelfth chapter, and I'm psyched for some reason! I'm in a good mood, I guess. Anyways, thankles to everyone who's reviewed me--you don't know how it makes me feel when I click on that little stats button and see all my new reviews! (Just picture Sakura pre-Shippuden spying on Sasuke taking a bath. That about sums up my happiness) **

**But I am sorry this is so late. I've been sick, and when I'm sick, I don't wanna do anything--even write my lovely story! Sucks, huh?**

**Anyways, yay for Karin bashing! I thought some of you might think that it was…like….I don't know, but everyone was like, "Yay for Karin bashing!" so I guess I'll just keep up the bashing.**

**Naruto: I'm gonna cry.**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Why?**

**Naruto: I have no purpose in life. I think I need a career change.**

**KisaLycorsis-san: You're only a teenager. You're too young to be having a midlife crisis. Read my disclaimer.**

**Naruto: KisaLycorsis-san does not own me or the manga or anime or anything but this story.**

**KisaLycorsis-san: But I did see Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 the other day, and was going to buy it, but then I remembered that I haven't even beaten the first. T-T That and I'm poor.**

She was really swelling up in anger now. If my sarcasm was doing this to her, then how would she react if she found out I was staying with and sleeping in the same bed as her precious Sasuke-kun?

I couldn't wait to find out.

Karin's face was twisted into a snarl, her upper lip curled. She really did look like a dog. "How dare you--!"

"Settle down, class." Kakashi-sensei chose that moment to interrupt. "The bell for first period will ring in just a minute."

It was actually fifteen minutes. But his announcement silenced Karin, for which everyone was eternally grateful. I almost expected everyone to congregate on Kakashi-sensei and give him a hug.

When it finally did ring, I filed out of the room along with the others. I found myself between Sasuke and Naruto. The latter was blabbering on about something he'd eaten the day before, and the former was just rolling his eyes.

"--and I swear it growled at me, seriously--when it was going down I swear it was clawing at my throat--maybe I should have taken all the fur off of it first--"

I'd heard enough. I punched him on the top of the head, and he fell like a sack of potatoes. Sasuke was staring at me gratefully, as if I'd just saved him from damnation, and I suppose I kinda did.

"Ow….Sakura-chan, why d'ya always have to hit me?" Naruto moaned as he stood, rubbing the huge bump on his head. I shrugged. "I don't know. Just a whim."

"A whim?!"

I swear Sasuke was laughing, and I grinned in his general direction. Naruto grumbled all the way to first period, where he went off to complain and whine to Hinata. She comforted him as I sat down and got my copy of Romeo and Juliet out. Sasuke sat beside me and did the same, though he did it a lot slower than I did. Okay, so I'm excited. I love Shakespeare.

"Alright, settle down, everyone." Kurenai-sensei called out, and everyone immediately obeyed. I was very displeased to see the redhead bitch was in this class, but shrugged it off.

"We will not be reading Romeo and Juliet today." Kurenai-sensei announced, and I deflated visibly, sliding down in my seat with a moan of disappointment. She took a moment to smile at me, then continued. "We're going to be doing a special assignment for the next few days."

The class grumbled, but I perked up. Special assignment? Sounds fun.

"First off, I'm going to pair you off. And no, Naruto, you can't choose your partner." Kurenai-sensei said firmly as Naruto's hand raised, then flopped. She started on the other side of the room, and I panicked. Who was I gonna be with? If she paired me off with the redhead, I'd go nuts. Scream, pull the fire alarm, beat Naruto--whichever came to me first.

She was getting nearer and nearer--sweat popped out on my forehead as I regarded her nervously--why was she walking so damn fast?

Finally, she got to me and said, "Sakura, you'll be with--"

I squeezed my eyes shut and prepared for the worst.

"--Sasuke."

I blinked. "Huh?" I glanced over at the boy, then grinned at Kurenai-sensei. "Alright!"

I ignored the banging of Sasuke's head on his desk and hummed, carefree. To torture the boy who tortures me--that is sweet justice!

Karin didn't look too happy, but I'd decided to ignore her, so it's all good.

The pairings went off pretty good. Naruto was with Hinata, Tenten with Neji, Ino with Kiba, and Karin got paired with Gaara, which I found hilarious; he's cool, but he seems to hate all girls. I saw her edge her chair away from him several times when he just regarded her with that glare--you know, that Glare. The glare that says, "Get the fuck away from me, you stupid whore." I've never had it personally directed towards me, but I've given it before. Oh yes. It was a specialty of mine.

After the pairing was over, Kurenai-sensei smiled at us and said, "Alright. We shall be working on a little project that I like to call 'Getting Ready for Marriage'."

We were all thinking it at the same time: Oh shit.

"Now, this project entails both people, but one of you will be doing most of the work."

"That'll be you." Sasuke stated automatically. I glared at him, then shushed him and turned back to the teacher.

"Also, you may have noticed that all the partners are male and female. That's because this project is…..sort of a couple thing."

I froze in horror. "C-couple thing?! Wh-what do you mean?!" I asked fearfully.

She hung her head. "It appears that our Mayor signed a document the other day that forces the school board to start teaching children more 'adult' situations, like how to take care of their homes, their families, their spouses, that sort of thing. I just wish she'd stop signing things when she's drunk."

My face must have gone deathly pale, for when she looked back up at me, she hastily continued, "But don't worry, it's not too bad! You just have to live with your partner, and the woman--well, she takes care of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and that sort of thing--and the man 'works'--mainly he just comes to school. The girls will be staying at home during the rest of the week and the boys will come to school. It's to build your home skills, and it's relatively easy--"

"That is so sexist!" Tenten blurted suddenly, and the rest of us girls nodded in agreement. "Haha!" Naruto giggled. "You said the word sex!" I gave him a glare that could melt ice cubes and said, "So the woman has to cook, clean, do the laundry, and basically tidy the house all day while the man gets to go to school?! That's totally unfair!"

Kiba scoffed. "Yeah right! You girls dust a table, fold a few shirts, and order pizza. Then you sit on your butts and do nothing while us guys come here and work!!"

Ino laughed derisively. "Kiba, you don't work anyway, so what's the big deal? You just come to school to see all the pretty girls!"

"Well--if all the girls are staying home, then there won't BE any pretty girls for me to come to school to look at!" He yelled back.

Sasuke sighed. "This is dumb. Anyway, you've been arguing for most of the period. Kurenai-sensei, what exactly does this project entail and how long will it go on?"

Kurenai-sensei seemed surprised, then said, "Uh, it lasts until next Monday….and basically what happens is the girl cleans up the house while the boy comes to school until 2:30, and then he can either go straight home or go out with his friends or go somewhere alone. BUT, the boy has to call the girl before he can go out, and she must say yes. If she says no, then you must go home."

"So the girl basically wears the pants in the family?" Gaara asked quietly, and we all jumped. I don't think I've ever heard him talk.

Kurenai-sensei sweat dropped. "Er, I wouldn't say that, but it's common courtesy to ask before you go somewhere. It's the same with the girl. If she gets the house cleaned early and wants to hang out with her friends or go shopping, then she calls and asks her guy first. If he says no, she stays. But both have to be home by at least six o'clock, in proper time for the girl to make dinner and for them both to eat. Evenings are free; if both the boy and girl would like to go out, then they may do so, but curfew is ten." She stood, took a leaf of papers from her desk, and began to pass them out. "This is a more explanatory set of the rules," she continued. "And I expect you all to follow the rules, otherwise points will be taken off. The group that has the most points at the end of the week gets an A on this project and wins a very special prize."

Ino sat bolt-right up in her chair. A manic gleam had come to her crystal blue eyes, and a kind of wild excitement radiated from her like perfume. Her fingers twitched as she repeated, "S-sp-special p-p-prize?!"

Kiba groaned. "Oh great. Now I have to follow rules. This blows."

I suddenly thought of something and raised my hand. "Kurenai-sensei? Shikamaru and Temari left early. How will they know about the project, and who will they partner with?"

She frowned, then brightened. "Why, they'll be their own team! And I'll make sure to call them with the details. Oh, and another thing, class. The girl has to move in with the boy for the week."

I sighed. "Well, that shouldn't be too hard." I muttered sarcastically, and Sasuke heard and smirked. "Are you gonna sleepwalk again?" He leaned over and asked me this in a whisper.

I glared at him. "Probably. Looks like you're gonna have to just deal with me in your bed, Sasuke-kun."

He threw back his head and laughed, and it sent chills down my spine and arose goose bumps on my arms. Then he looked me straight in the eye and whispered, "I woke up with a pretty girl snuggled against me with her hand playing with my boxers. I think I could handle it for the rest of the week."

My face blushed crimson, and I choked out, "I-I wasn't playing with your boxers!"

"Oh yes you were. I woke up with you hand against my stomach, and I had to hold it so that it wouldn't stray." He replied with a smirk, and I suddenly recalled how his hand had been stroking mine. I buried my face in my hands and moaned.

No one seemed to have heard our conversation, and for that I was thankful. When the bell rang, I was all ready to race from the room with a paper bag over my head all the same, when Kurenai-sensei called out, "Oh! I forgot! Everyone has the rest of the day off to get settled in!"

"Oh, fantastic!" I shrieked, throwing up my hands. "A whole day with Sasuke! Ooh, what pleasure! Maybe we could go bowling, or figure skating! Heck, maybe we can go to the mall and shop for a prom dress, seeing as my life is destined to revolve around Uchiha Sasuke! Hizahhhh!"

Hinata patted me on the back. "Don't worry, S-sakura-chan. Sasuke-san is not so bad a person. I-I believe that you can bring out the best in him."

I seriously doubted that, but smiled and hugged her all the same. She's just so darn pure and cute. Adorable. "And you get to spend a week with Naruto." I reminded her slyly. "You can tutor him in the evenings, ya?"

She flushed slightly, but smiled. "Y-yes. I'm quite looking forward to it."

If they weren't dating by the end of the week, my matchmaking skills needed serious work.

I joined Sasuke at his motorcycle after saying goodbye to everyone and exchanging phone numbers (Sasuke's, of course) with Ino, and hopped up behind him, fastening the catch on the helmet below my chin. "Ready, Freddie!" I yelled, and he probably rolled his eyes, but gunned the motor and we sped off.

It took about ten minutes to reach his apartment building, and I tried not to gape when we reached it. It looked…bigger… than it did last night, and this morning I hadn't stopped to look at it. It was ginormous.

"This place is ginormous." I told him as the valet (humph!) took the motorcycle and we trudged up the steps into the building. He shrugged. "Itachi would only agree to me living alone if I stayed here. He even forced me to live in that apartment, and sleep in that room."

"Aw, he's so sweet. Just like an older brother!" I beamed. Itachi-sensei wasn't so bad after all!

But Sasuke shook his head. "No, he's not being sweet. He's got a reason."

I glanced over at him as we entered the lobby. "Why?" I asked softly, persuasively.

"Not now. Maybe, if you're a good girl, I'll tell you at the end of the week." He winked at me, but it seemed to have no heart in it like before.

We walked past the jealous woman in silence, though she struggled to get Sasuke's attention, and went to the elevator. He pushed in the button as the doors closed behind us, and the ride up was long. Finally, the doors slid back open and we walked down the hallway to his apartment. He fumbled with his key, then unlocked the door.

I set my bag down on the couch and took my jacket and shoes off as he did the same. I straightened and smiled at him. "Well, I'm glad that's over. But now…." I dug through my bag and pulled out the list Kurenai-sensei had given us. "It says here that blah blah blah……ne ne ne….ka ka ka……

"Ka ka ka?" He repeated in confusion, but I ignored him and read on. "I can't believe I've gotta cook! I've never even boiled water!"

"Well, I'd trade roles with you, but I'm a guy and you're a girl, and rules are rules." Sasuke said, in what I thought was a chipper voice. I scowled at him and read on. I smirked as I read the last part. "'Students are not to sleep in the same room as one another, for any reason.'"

I looked over at Sasuke and grinned devilishly. "So we can't sleep together. Too bad for you, Sasuke-kun."

He just shrugged. "What they don't know won't hurt them. Besides, I know you'll be absolutely devastated if you can't play with my boxers again."

I arched my eyebrow, then gave him a wicked smile. "Why Sasuke-kun, how did you know that I was planning on ravishing you in your sleep tonight?"

"Must be my psychic ability." He replied with a grin, and I laughed. Teasing each other was fun--but it was starting to make me….feel really…funny. Like, I just wanted to laugh uncontrollably, just belt it out.

When I didn't stop laughing, he stared at me incredulously. "It wasn't THAT funny, Sakura-chan." He said.

I finally stopped, and gasped for breath. "G-gomen, S-sasuke-k-kun! That was w-weird!"

He put the back of his hand to my forehead and frowned. "You're really hot, but I can't tell if it's from your giggling spree or from a fever."

I straightened with a sigh, breath caught. "I don't feel weird, I mean, besides for that. I've been okay all morning. Maybe I should take a nap. I didn't sleep well last night." That was a lie-I'd slept great. But I wanted him to take his hand away from me and leave me alone, because his touch alone was making me feverish.

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. You go lay down, and I'll make a trip to the grocery store, alright? Just don't sleepwalk to the balcony and fall off, because I don't wanna walk home to see your brains splattered all over the pavement, okay?"

And just when I thought he was being nice for once. I stuck my tongue out at him, and walked into his room. To my heated skin, the cool air and surface of the water bed felt like heaven. And before I knew it, I was asleep.

I had a vivid dream of two people. A woman and a man. They both had grey hair, and wore old clothes. The wrinkly woman was smiling at the man, then she took his hand. "Aishiteru, darling."

He took her other hand in his and placed a kiss on the wrinkly back. "Aishiteru."

She giggled softly, like a schoolgirl. "I never thought I'd hear you say those words. You used to be so cold!"

"I know. But I'm not like that anymore. You helped me through all my pain and suffering, and brought me happiness. Aishiteru. I'll say it a million times if it would make you happy."

She hugged him to her, and discreetly wiped away the tear that trickled down her cheek. "I've never been happier. I'm glad that Kami willed that I grow old with you."

Then I awoke with a silent gasp. What the hell-?!

I breathed in deeply as the memory of the dream plagued me. Who had the two been? Why was I having a dream about them? Had I been the woman? If so, who had been the man?

Then I noticed that although it had been cold when I fell asleep, I was now quite warm. Hot, even. I opened my eyes, and stared at darkness. My face was pressed against something soft, and I rubbed it from side to side, reveling in the feel, and the godly smell that emanated from it.

The only conclusion; I was pressed against Sasuke. I tried to pull back, but something against my back prevented the movement. I surged backwards, and he groaned in his sleep, and the restraint loosened. I was able to completely rear back, and realized that my face had been pressed against his chest, and his arms must have been wrapped around my back.

It was now nighttime; I could tell by the way that the room was so dark. As I moved away, he frowned in his sleep and his hands reached out, as if grabbing for me. I smiled at the thought that he, even unconsciously, wanted me close to him, then silently slid from the bed and hurried to the bathroom, shivering at the cold air.

After doing my 'business' and washing and drying my hands, I walked back to the bed. I'd left the bathroom light on, and I now padded to his dresser and opened the top drawer. A long black shirt caught my eye, and I pulled them out and shut the drawer. I slipped out of my uniform shirt and skirt, tugging off my stockings, and unhooking my bra, leaving only my panties, then pulled on the shirt. Then I went back to the bed and crawled in beside Sasuke. He automatically reached for me again, sensing my heat, and I let him pull me against him this time, snuggling my face back against his chest and closing my eyes, haunting dream forgotten-for the moment.

When I next awoke, I was still pressed against him, but I discovered, cheeks instantly burning, that my hand was again on his stomach, and he was playing with them again. So he was awake. And I'd unconsciously tried to grope him in my sleep again. Life was unfair this morning.

I lifted my burning face from his chest, and stared at him. He looked so cute with his ruffled hair, droopy eyes, and pillow marks on his cheek. He'd obviously not been awake long. "Ohayou, Miss Likes-to-play-with-me-while-we're-both-sleeping." He greeted me in a sexy voice that I definitely couldn't deal with first thing in the morning.

I groaned and asked, "What time is it?"

"About an hour before I have to wake up for school." He replied with a grin.

"I slept a long time! About…..eighteen hours!" I said, shocked. "I must have been really sleepy."

He nodded. "When I got back, you were asleep, and I went to bed at around….five o'clock."

I sat up and shivered. "Jeez, it's so cold in here!" I rubbed my hands up and down my arms.

"Well, I like it-" He suddenly stopped talking, and I glanced over to see him staring at me with wide eyes. I arched an eyebrow. "What is it?" I asked.

"Y-you're half-naked." He stated with a slight stutter, and I looked down at myself. The shirt wasn't as long as I'd thought last night; it barely covered the tops of my thighs, and the way I was sitting had caused it to ride up and show a hint of my white panties. My cheeks burned as I pulled it down, but it wouldn't cover my long bare legs. "Uh-I-I woke up last night and-and it was uncomfortable in the-the skirt and stuff, so I-uh-I borrowed your sh-shirt." The explanation was punctuated by stammers and little intakes of air as I suddenly found myself breathless. The way he was staring at me….

**Ah, I will leave it there! Whoo, I made this one longer, huh? I'm really sorry that this is so late, guys. Keep reviewing me, please! I won't give up on this story, though it may take several days for me to update! I will not give up on you guys!!**


	13. Going from bad, to worse, REALLY fast

**Chapter Thirteen! Spooky…..O.O**

**So, first off…Royal Azura, were you serious when you said the last paragraph of Chapter Twelve made your heart skip a beat?! If so, then that's one of the best things an author wants to hear! I almost cried when I read that! Seriously! (Well, as a crybaby, it isn't hard to make me cry, but whatev) And KinkyAnimeGirl! Were you serious, too?! That makes me feel great! -squeals-**

**Almost 100 reviews! I'm gonna celebrate when I get 100! Maybe I'll do something special…. -snickers-**

**Temari: What a time to get sick. When I get to-I mean-have to live with Shikamaru!**

**Shikamaru: Mendokusee…..**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Don't be so gay, Shikamaru!**

**Shikamaru: GAY?!**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Read my disclaimer, slave!**

**Shikamaru: -tears streaming- KisaLycorsis-san is so mean…..and does not own Naruto or anything but this story. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go cry in a corner.**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Sounds like a plan!**

**Temari: Gay, huh? I can fix that. -grins evilly-**

_"Y-you're half-naked." He stated with a slight stutter, and I looked down at myself. The shirt wasn't as long as I'd thought last night; it barely covered the tops of my thighs, and the way I was sitting had caused it to ride up and show a hint of my white panties. My cheeks burned as I pulled it down, but it wouldn't cover my long bare legs. "Uh-I-I woke up last night and-and it was uncomfortable in the-the skirt and stuff, so I-uh-I borrowed your sh-shirt." The explanation was punctuated by stammers and little intakes of air as I suddenly found myself breathless. The way he was staring at me…._

"Sasuke-kun….what's wrong?" I asked rhetorically. Of course I knew what was wrong. He was stricken with lust--ha ha, yeah right. But I bet he'd never seen so much skin on a girl before.

He had a slightly glazed look in his eyes, and I waved my hand before them. "Earth to Sasuke-kun, come in, Sasuke-kun!" I yelled.

He finally snapped out of whatever sick fantasy he'd been having and stared at me in shock. "Wh-wh-what?" He stammered stupidly, and I rolled my eyes. "Moron! You can't just ogle me like that! Pervert!"

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm not a pervert! I just-why are you wearing my shirt?!"

I rolled my eyes again. "Uh, because I have none of my own! Duh! This is YOUR apartment, 'member?"

"Well, you could've worn a longer shirt." He muttered and looked away, but I saw him sneaking peeks back at my legs. I grinned and lifted one in the air, bending it slightly at the knee. "You know, at home I usually don't wear anything to bed. But I figured you wouldn't appreciate to waking up to a naked girl in your bed. Just being courteous."

I said all this in a sexy voice that I was even proud of. It was all a lie, of course. I've tried sleeping nude, but I get cold in the middle of the night. Still, it had the desired effect; he went red and turned away. I grinned behind his back as he stammered, "Wh-what-"

"Just saying. I mean, you usually sleep naked too, right? We've got something in common." I was enjoying this too much. I need a hobby. I stretched lazily. "Whew, I'm starving! I'm gonna go get something to eat." I slid off the bed and walked over to the door.

"W-wait, put some clothes on!" He yelled as I unlocked the door and pulled it open. I paused and looked back at him. "Why?" I asked innocently, and he said, "Because!"

"I'm hot." I sashayed from the room and into the kitchen, knowing instinctively that he was following me. I went to the fridge and bent to take in the contents. I thought I heard a groan from behind me, and smiled at the jug of milk. "Ooh, you got cheese! I love cheese….and tomatoes! Whoa, there's, like, a million of them!" I eyed the large bag of red fruit. "You must like tomatoes a lot."

"Y-yeah, they're my favorite." He replied behind me as I straightened. "Oh! Well, I'm learning more about you!" I chirped. "You know, we don't really know anything about each other. We should talk more, insult less often, OGLE LESS!" I shrieked, and he jumped. "Really, come on, you've got two hours until you've gotta be at school, so let's get to know each other better. What's your favorite color?"

And thus, I learned that his favorite colors were dark blue and black, that he preferred winter to summer, that he hadn't worn boxers to bed for three years (don't ask how it came up), and that his love for tomatoes stemmed from his mother, who had kept them present at every meal for her sons. The last part touched onto a question I'd had since I first learned of his parents demise. Quietly, I asked, "Sasuke-kun? C-can you tell me how…. I mean, what happened….."

He was silent as I trailed off, not quite sure how to finish the question. The silence stretched on for several tense minutes, then, just as I opened my mouth to change the subject, he said, in a subdued voice, "I was seven. They were driving home from some fancy cocktail party or something, and were hit by a drunk driver. They died instantly upon impact."

I closed my eyes against tears. Why was I crying? I'm getting soft! After I felt like I could speak, I croaked, "I-I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't apologize. You had nothing to do with it."

"Yeah, but still….." Without thinking, I threw my arms around him in a comforting hug--of course, I'm not sure if I was giving comfort, or taking it.

He blinked at me in surprise, then put his arms around me and hugged me back. We rocked back and forth, staying that way for what seemed like hours. Finally, I pulled back from him and sniffed. I'd kept my tears in check, thank Kami. The last thing I wanted was to cry in front of him. There's only so much you can share with someone you've only known for three days. Besides, I haven't cried in three years; I wasn't about to start now.

As I sat back down into my chair, he asked, "What about you? Your brother…."

I tensed. Why did he want to know….? "Daisuke. My older brother. What about him?" My voice came out sharper than I intended, but he didn't even flinch. "What happened with him?" He pressed, and I felt caught between a rock and a hard place. He had told me about his parents, so….

"I was thirteen when he left. He hated our adoptive parents; they considered him to be some kind of delinquent, all because--" I took a slow breath. "because he was gay. They said things like 'immoral' and 'shameful'. It killed me."

He nodded. "I understand. Believe it or not, I've experienced discrimination." He added at my disbelieving look. "So, he just left?"

I sighed. "He couldn't bloom in that kind of hostile environment. So he took the money he'd saved up from odd jobs, and I sold my motorcycle so that he could get a bus ticket, and he-he left." I cursed my tell-tale stammer as my voice broke slightly. I turned my head to the left and fumed silently at my own naivety. It's not like he'd care about my feelings. I was stupid to even think--

My eyes widened at the feeling of warm bare arms wrapping around me and pulling me into an equally warm chest. A fiery blush lit my cheeks, and I pushed at him gently. "S-Sasuke-kun, what--"

"You did this for me. I wanted to return the favor." His words rumbled in his chest and the vibrations traveled up through my palms to my arms. I shivered delicately and squeaked, "Yeah! You can let go now!"

He did so, and I breathed deeply in relief. He didn't seem to notice this as he said, "I need to get ready for school--I mean, 'work'."

I glanced at the clock. We'd been talking for over an hour! Wow, time really DOES fly….. "Uh…can I do anything?" I asked uncertainly as he bustled around the apartment at lightning speed. Before I knew it, he was in the shower with the water running, and I was, for some weird reason, lying on his water bed. Hm.

It was five minutes later when I heard the shower click off and the door open seconds later. A batch of steam puffed from the bathroom as he emerged, hair still damp, dark towel riding on his hips. I looked away, blaming the escaping steam for the pink in my cheeks. "Hurry up and put some clothes on!" I yelled at him.

He paused in the act of rifling through his drawers to glance back at me. His eyebrows rose. "Why?" He asked, and I yelled, "Because!"

He shrugged. "I'm hot." Then he grabbed something from the drawer, his uniform, and disappeared back into the bathroom, shaking his hips comically. As I realized what had just transgressed, I couldn't suppress a grin. I'd been duped.

When he reemerged, his hair was dry and combed into it's usual strange style , his uniform on and looking like he'd just hopped out of an ad for school uniforms. Bad thought. "So you'll be home when?" I asked, following him as he left the room.

He grabbed his bag from near the couch and headed towards the door. "Probably around three." He replied as he pulled open the door and stepped outside. "You should be able to scrounge up something for dinner. Just make sure you put out some tomatoes."

I would have smiled at the last part, but was too frenzied. A sudden thought crossed my mind, and I said, "Hey Sasuke-kun!"

He looked back at me questioningly, and I grinned. "You realize I skipped detention again?"

His face was shocked, then he smirked. "Yeah. But next week, you'll be in there alone." He turned and walked down the hall, leaving me scowling. "What am I supposed to do today?!" I yelled after him.

Sasuke pushed the button for the elevator and stepped inside it when the doors opened, then looked at me once again. "Cook. Clean. Shop. Woman stuff." He said, then the doors shut.

I stalked back into the apartment and surveyed the room. In the three days I'd been there, my few belongings had been strewn across….everywhere. I bent to pick up a book from my bag and noticed something on the couch. I picked it up instead and saw that it was a note.

Sakura,

This fell out of the breast pocket of your jacket when I was picking it off the floor last night. Would this happen to be your key? Just make sure your chores are done by three, okay?

Sasuke

I looked at the note in my one hand, and the other holding a silver key, and the latter slapped my forehead in consternation. "Damnit! I can't believe this!"

I was about to crumple up the note when I saw the post script.

P.S. I left you some money on the table. Don't complain, just take it as a gift. Anyways, I called you a cab for nine. Just make sure you're home in time to clean, okay?

I smiled. "How did that moron know I'd wanna go get some stuff?" I threw the note away, then grabbed it back out of the trash can and smoothed it free of wrinkles. I slid it into my bag, then glanced at the clock. "Gyah! I've only got twenty minutes!"

I ran around frantically, pulling on my grungy uniform and shoes, and slinging my hair up into a messy ponytail resembling a tulip. I'd just made it to the lobby, after grabbing the spare key and locking the door, when a yellow cab pulled up to the curb before the complex. I gave a jaunty wave to the jealous clerk and ran outside.

"Would you happen to be Haruno Sakura?" The driver was an old man, with a white mustache and white hair, kind eyes, and a cheery smile. I liked him immediately. "Yup. That's me." I replied as I got into the back seat.

He just smiled and asked, "Where to?" After I told him the address, we made small talk for the fifteen minutes it took to get there. When he pulled up in the driveway, I hopped out. "Eh, arigato, Taichi-san!"

He waved away my thanks airily. "Think nothing of it! I'll be back in two hours to pick you up."

"Eh?! Why?!" I asked in shock. He scratched his white semi-bald head. "Uchiha-sama made it clear to me to leave you here for two hours and then take you back to the apartment complex. Would you like to stay longer--?"

"No, no, it's okay!" I assured him. "Two hours is fine."

He tipped an invisible hat to me and drove off, leaving me there in the driveway. I turned to the run-down house and sighed, walking up to the door. As I slid the key into the lock and pulled the door open, I thought about how shabby it must have looked the other day to Sasuke, born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Mind must've been aluminum, for it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I didn't look around as I entered the house, just shut the door behind me, ran to my room and closed that door, too. Most of my things were still boxed up, so I spent an hour rifling around and had accumulated seven outfits, including panties, bras, and shoes, and several other items that I shoved into my traveling bags. I grabbed my journal from beneath he mattress and left my room, heading to the kitchen.

Mom wasn't kidding. She bought enough food to feed even Naruto for weeks. I eyed everything and pulled out all that would go bad in the next week. I pushed aside several condiments and pulled out the jar of sweet pickles with a silent prayer to the heavens that my mom receive a crown when she got there.

I went through he cabinets and pulled down even more food. By the time I was finished, about a dozen plastic bags bulging with food were sitting beside the door along with my traveling bags.

I plopped onto the couch and heaved a great sigh. Telling Sasuke about Daisuke this morning had felt good. Had felt right. And when he told me about his parents, I felt his pain.

I'd never told anyone my whole story before. Not even my two best friends I'd known since we were young. But I came dangerously close to blurting it to him. Him, who I'd known for less than three days.

I've always been a loner, since I was a kid. The only one I'd opened0 up to was my brother, and when he left, I withdrew into myself. Put up a shield between me and the rest of the world, my own personal bubble. So why could this-this boy be tearing it down unconsciously in less than three days?!

A honk awoke me from my musings. I leapt from the couch and opened the front door. Taichi-san's cab was outside, so I grabbed several bags and waddled down to where he sat in the driveway. "Could you pop the trunk, Taichi-san?" I asked, and placed the bags into the trunk when he complied. On the last trip out to the cab with the bags, I suddenly had an idea. I ran back into the kitchen, grabbed a book from where I'd hidden it, and raced outside, locking the door behind me.

The ride back to Sasuke's was punctuated by happy sighs from me and occasional sneezes from Taichi-san. When we pulled up to the complex, I turned to Taichi-san. "How much do I owe you?" I asked, ready to pull out the bills Sasuke had left me.

He stopped my movements with a shake of his head. "Uchiha-sama already paid and tipped me. No need to worry your pretty little head about it."

I smiled gratefully. "Arigato." I enlisted the help of a porter and together we lugged my stuff from the cab and up to Sasuke's apartment, after I waved goodbye to Taichi-san.

I tipped the porter and closed the door behind him. Then I put away the food and took my other stuff into his room. I squashed my clothes into his dresser with difficulty. (How could a man have more clothes than a woman?!" Then I put away the my other crap. As a finishing touch, I placed my diary beneath the bed, taping it to the wall.

I beamed at my handiwork for a full five minuets before changing into a clean pair of shorts and a tank top and--

Washed the dishes, did the laundry, cleaned the kitchen, scrubbed the bathrooms, cleaned out the fridge and pantry, folded the laundry, vacuumed the floor, dusted every surface, and--

Crumpled into a heap onto Sasuke's bed, exhausted. And I didn't even twitch until I saw the time and saw that it was two. So I dragged myself up off the bed and into the shower. I sighed in ecstasy as the hot water hit my skin, and I spent what seemed like hours in there, washing my hair, my body--heck, I shaved my LEGS! Why?

…..good question.

When I finished, I wrapped myself in a towel, wrapped my hair in another, and stepped out into Sasuke's cold room. I shivered as the cool air hit my skin, and hurried over to the dresser. I hopped from foot to foot as I searched for something to wear, and I didn't notice anyone come up behind me.

"Aaauuuuuuuggggghhhh!" I screeched as a hand touched me on the shoulder. I whirled around with a clenched fist--and hit Sasuke right in the cheek, screaming, "Pervert!"

….things were going from good…..to bad….REALLY fast….

**Ooh, cliffhanger! Sorry, guys, had to do it….anyways, sorry that this chapter is so late! I had a scrapbook project due for English, and it took the better part of two weeks. -sigh- Forgive me?**


	14. Kissing and ramen

**I can't believe I'm writing this right now. I'm in a REALLY bad mood, guys, so if it shows, then I'm sorry. J**

**Okay, who wants to punch me first? I know I haven't written in a while…I've had a small case of writer's block…with this story.**

**Thanks to all reviewers….it made me happy when you guys reviewed….but to Enots Ammeq. That kind of annoys me too, but if I don't do it this way, then my chapters are way short, and that annoys me even more. I've kinda learned to deal with doing it that way, and no one's complained about it thus far. And I don't want to confuse anyone by this, I'm just trying to finish this wonderful fic!! **

**Chapter 14! Woot woot! The part about Daisuke being homosexual just came to me. It makes sense, though, right? And it really annoys me when people are disgusted or judge people by what they do or like. In fact, I could go on for hours….but here in the U.S., they've finally legalized gay marriage in California! Isn't that awesome?! I have some pretty nice gay friends, and it really makes me mad when they get dirty looks, or are treated differently. Ya know?**

**Naruto: I wasn't in the last one….**

**KisaLycorsis-san: I'm sorry, Naruto….I don't think you're in this one, either…**

**Naruto: Waaaaaaaaaah! -sobs-**

**Hinata: There, there, Naruto. It's okay. Let's go to Ichiraku's.**

**Naruto: -sniff- Are you paying?**

**KisaLycorsis-san: -sweatdrops- Cheapskate…**

_When I finished, I wrapped myself in a towel, wrapped my hair in another, and stepped out into Sasuke's cold room. I shivered as the cool air hit my skin, and hurried over to the dresser. I hopped from foot to foot as I searched for something to wear, and I didn't notice anyone come up behind me._

_"Aaauuuuuuuggggghhhh!" I screeched as a hand touched me on the shoulder. I whirled around with a clenched fist--and hit Sasuke right in the cheek, screaming, "Pervert!"_

_….things were going from good…..to bad….REALLY fast…._

We stayed frozen for several seconds, then Sasuke keeled backwards, crashing to the floor. I stood there uncertainly, then kicked him lightly with my foot. "Hey…you okay?"

He sat up with a groan and gave me an evil look. I shrugged. "Hey, you snuck up on me! It's your fault that you're bleeding--Hey, you're bleeding!!"

I grasped his hand and pulled him into the bathroom, still filled with steam from my shower. I plopped him onto the toilet (making sure the lid was shut, of course) and turned to his medicine cabinet. "Do you have a first aid kit or something?!"

He shook his head, wincing slightly at the motion. "Nope."

I growled in frustration as I rifled through the crap. "Hey, you have, like, six containers of Pepto Bismol in here."

"Shut up."

I complied, giggling silently as I pushed aside the pink bottles and looked for band-aids or anything to put on his cheek where I'd broken the skin. "Band-aids? Gauze and tape? Anything?!"

"Let me do it." He stood and pushed me out the door. "Go get dressed."

I scowled as he shut the door in my face. "Jerk!"

The door reopened, and he leaned against the doorjamb and regarded me with a smirk, though it must have hurt his cheek. And he looked so damn cute, blood and all, that I caught my breath. "If I really was a jerk, I would have mentioned that you need to change because your towel is slipping."

I looked down and grasped the edges of the black fabric as it slid down, almost exposing my breasts. "Shit!"

He chuckled. "Then again, just leave it on. I could do with a peep show, ya know, me being a 'pervert' and all."

"Bandage your wound!" I pushed hard on his chest and slammed the door again. But, turning back to the dresser, I couldn't ignore his husky laughter or the red in my cheeks.

By the time I was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a green T-shirt that proclaimed 'Save the Lemurs!' and gotten out into the kitchen, he padded in behind me, his skin slightly pink from the steamy bathroom and a pretty white bandage placed carefully upon his pretty cheek.

I flushed and turned back to the fridge. "Okay, we've got a bunch of your crap, a bunch of my crap, we should make something that includes both of our crap."

He looked over my shoulder at the contents of the fridge. "Did you bring that stuff? I'm allergic to pineapple."

"No you're not! You already had that in here!" I rolled my eyes and bit my lip. "Eh…it needs to include tomatoes…and pickles…"

"Pickles?" He glanced at the jar of sweet pickles I held in my hands. "You like pickles?"

"Pickles are the best damn thing in the whole wide world!" I shouted, startling the jar and almost dropping it. "You DO like sweet pickles, right?!" I gave him a death glare.

He sweatdropped. "Eh…yeah, they're okay. But tomatoes are better."

I tensed immediately, and a vein in my forehead throbbed painfully. "What did you say?" My voice was cold and threatening as I looked over my shoulder at him.

He backed away with both hands raised as though to ward me off. "N-nothing!" he stammered.

In a sudden change of mood, I beamed at him. "Okay!" I chirped happily.

I heard a crash and the next thing I knew, Sasuke had collapsed to the floor. "Sasuke-kun, this is no time for silly games! Get off the floor and help me figure out what to cook!" I kicked him in the side.

"Ow ow! Okay, I'm getting up! Mendokusee…." he grumbled to himself as he stood.

"Isn't that Shikamaru's line?" I asked in amusement. He just shook his head at me.

"Hey, I wanted to show you something." I turned to a drawer and pulled out the book I'd taken at the last minute from my kitchen. I caressed the worn cover with a gentle smile as memories bombarded me. "This was Daisuke's. He loved to cook, and had dreams of becoming a famous chef. His food was to die for. I was the taste-tester--Kami forbid he let me help cook!"

He came up behind me and studied the book. "It looks pretty old."

"He started to compile it when he was ten. So it's about nine years old. He came up with all these recipes himself. He was a freakin' genius! But he left it behind when he left…"

Sasuke carefully took it from my hands and opened the handmade cover to the first page that said, 'Property of Haruno Daisuke'. "You really love him, huh?"

His question caught me by surprise. "Well, yeah. He's my brother. Don't you love Itachi-sensei?"

He sighed and shook his head. "No. I hate him."

My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open. "Y-you hate him? How can you hate him? He's your brother!"

"He doesn't love or care about me. If he did, he would have helped me as a kid. All he did was worry about himself, and left me to be taken in by relative after relative because he ran off and didn't return until he was eighteen. Even then, he didn't want anything to do with me. I ran away, too, when I turned fifteen, and came here. My father was the head of a huge company, so I've never had to worry about money, but--" He sighed again, then scowled. "Why am I telling you this?"

I set the pickles on the counter, took the cookbook from his hands and placed it beside them, and wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my face into his neck. "Because everyone needs someone to talk to sometimes. I'm sorry I brought it up," I said quietly. A brief hesitation later, his arms closed around me and we rocked back and forth.

Later, that moment would come to me as the moment I first knew that I was in love with Uchiha Sasuke.

There was an amazing connection between us--he must have felt it, too. I felt as if his pain were my pain, that his tears-for I'm sure he shed quite a few over the years- were my tears, and that his life was in a way my own.

My heart skipped a beat at my thoughts. How could I feel this way for someone I'd only met days before? Why did it feel like I'd known him for my whole life? We argued a lot--then again, we laughed a lot. We disagreed about lots of things--then again, we agreed on lots of things, too. I'm so confused.

I pushed all of it aside--just erased it from my mind and held him--or was he holding me? We were holding each other, giving comfort and taking it simultaneously.

Almost in unison, we both looked at each other--I had to look up, and he had to look down. Then, as if by the force of a powerful magnet that was impossible to resist, our lips met.

It was like walking through a desert for years and suddenly plunging into the cold water of the Artic ocean. His warm lips pressed against mine, and his arms around me tightened in response to the kiss. My own arms also tightened around his neck, then my fingers thrust into his hair, still slightly damp from the steamy bathroom. Speaking of steamy--

He must have backed me up somehow, because the next thing I knew my butt was pressed against the counter, and it molded me both to it and Sasuke's front--not that I was complaining.

My mouth opened on a gasp when his right hand slid around my waist beneath my T-shirt, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth--again, not that I was complaining.

A small mewing sound escaped my throat, and he smiled against my mouth. He was SUCH a great kisser…My mind was slipping away, and I had no objections…I wanted him to keep going, to touch me with those beautiful hands, anywhere he wanted…to kiss me with that amazing mouth, anywhere he wanted….

The ringing phone jarred us from our embrace. Our lips broke apart and he stepped back from me. Our faces were red and we were both panting. I pushed way from the counter and grabbed the cordless phone from it's hook on the wall. "Hello, Uchiha S-Sasuke's residence." Hey, I have manners even after being ravished.

"Hey Sakura-chan! I knew you'd be at Sasuke's! Didn't I tell you, Hinata-chan?!"

"H-hai, you did, Naruto-kun."

I banged my head against the wall and groaned. "Naruto, you moron, where else would I be? This stupid project is making me live with Sasuke!"

"Hey, don't yell at me just because you have to live with an emo bastard!"

I couldn't help but smile at his indignant tone. "Gomen, Naruto. Anyways, what did you want?"

"Oh, right. Well, Hinata-chan and I thought it would be cool to go out tonight! Just for a quick meal, ya know, four friends, maybe like a double-date thing, at a nice, quiet place with great ramen--I mean, great food, and--"

"You want Sasuke and I to go with you and Hinata to Ichiraku's, don't you?" I rolled my eyes.

"Eh….yeah. So, can you?!"

I glanced over at Sasuke, whose face was no longer red and was no longer panting. The look he gave me made my spine tingle with awareness. Into the phone, I said, "Um, maybe tomorrow night, Naruto, I don't think Sasuke wants--"

Sasuke whipped the phone out of my hands so fast that I was left staring at my empty hand, blinking in surprise. He put it to his ear and said, "We'll go with you, Naruto. Just stop calling--and work on your timing!"

"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU--" Naruto's voice suddenly disappeared as Sasuke hit the disconnect button.

I gaped at him. "What--but--huh?"

He placed the phone back onto the hook, then turned to me. "I didn't get to finish." Before I could ask him what he meant, he pulled me once again into his arms and kissed me again. Then, just as I'd gotten over my initial shock and had begun to kiss him back, he broke it off and smirked. "He'll be here any time. Let's get ready."

As he walked off, I was left with my jaw on the ground. "Bu-bu-bu-bu-"

My face twisted up in anger as I ran after him, yelling, "Hey, that's no fair, you big meanie!"

We were each ready in twenty minutes. I'd changed into a pair of white capris, a green halter-top, and a short white jacket. I slipped my feet into a pair of white flats and brushed my hair out, then dried it with Sasuke's blow dryer and left it to swing around my shoulders and back. I glanced over at Sasuke, who'd changed out of his school uniform and now wore black slacks and a button-up shirt with long sleeves. I giggled at his appearance, then immediately stopped when he turned to glare at me.

We left his apartment and took another ride in the elevator--actually, that music is kinda catchy. I was humming some song from the Stone Ages as we walked through the lobby and out the door. Lo and behold, who should be walking up to the door but Naruto and Hinata. He wore long blue shorts and an orange T-shirt with tennis shoes and a big grin. She had donned a pretty blue sundress with short fitted sleeves and a skirt that fell right above her knees.

I bounced up to her and immediately began playing with her hair. "Aw, Hinata-chan, you should wear your hair like this a lot more often! Doesn't it look good up like this, guys?"

Naruto and Sasuke looked terrified at the thought of giving their opinion about anything so girly as hairdos, but nodded and gave the appropriate compliments.

Hinata flushed and murmured a thank you. I laughed at her and said, "Well, let's go then! Where to?"

Naruto pointed across the street. "There. To Ichiraku's."

I sweatdropped. "Oh, right. Hehehe….let's go!"

As we crossed the street, Naruto said, "You'll love Ichiraku's ramen, Sakura! It's the best!"

"I've never even had ramen…" I mused aloud. It took me a second to realize that they'd stopped walking. I turned to see all three of them staring at me in horror.

"N-n-n-never--had--ramen--?!" Naruto's eye twitched.

"Um….nope. I've never had it…"

Why did I have the feeling I'd just said something very, very bad?

**Ha ha, because you did! Never had ramen….to tell the truth, neither have I.**

**Naruto: -gasp- You either?! You fiend! And you call yourself a Naruto fan! To be a fan of Naruto, you must be a fan of ramen!**

**KisaLycorsis-san: -tears streaming- Gomen, Naruto….I'll go eat some, I promise!**

**Anyways, sorry about the late update. I promise to update once again this weekend, to apologize. Oh, and in response to breathoflavender…no, I've never read Twilight. Should I? Is it good?**

**And to Neko Grafic, yes I did read Chapter 402. So sad! I cried…yes, I cried.**


	15. The full ramen experience

**Oh yaysers! Okay, guys, first of all….to FreeWolfBlue……….you weren't supposed to find out about that! The secret's coming out in this chapter, and you, being smart, figured it out! Darn you and your smartiness! -sob- lol**

**Anyways, Chapter 15! So thanks to everyone who--who reviewed--WHOA, THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE! -faints-**

**Naruto: Gyaah! KisaLycorsis-san, are you okay?!**

**Sakura: She's not moving. She's in….A COMA!**

**Naruto: -sobs- She never even had any ramen! Why were you taken from us at such a young age?!**

**Sasuke: -wrings hands- We gotta ditch the body! She knows too much! We gotta take care of 'er! We gotta whack 'er!**

**Sakura: There will be NO whacking!**

**KisaLycorsis-san: -sits up- I feel like river dancing!**

**Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura: -sweatdrops-**

_As we crossed the street, Naruto said, "You'll love Ichiraku's ramen, Sakura! It's the best!"_

_"I've never even had ramen…" I mused aloud. It took me a second to realize that they'd stopped walking. I turned to see all three of them staring at me in horror._

_"N-n-n-never--had--ramen--?!" Naruto's eye twitched._

_"Um….nope. I've never had it…" _

_Why did I have the feeling I'd just said something very, very bad?_

"Um…yeah, I've never had ramen. Is that…bad?" I asked in confusion.

"Of course it's bad!" Naruto yelled at me, sending spit flying in all directions and making me wish I'd brought an umbrella.

"But it's just food."

His eyes widened tremendously. "It's not 'just food'! Ramen is a way of life!"

Hinata shook her head. "Naruto-kun, I think you're being melodramatic."

"Naruto, I think you're being an idiot," Sasuke corrected her, then resumed walking. "Let's just go so we can eat and I can go back to my--our--apartment."

I beamed and skipped alongside him. "Our apartment? Aw, you're including me!"

"Well, I figure since we kissed, you had a right to be included."

I groaned when Naruto immediately paused in his tantrum to gape at us in shock. "K-k-k-kissed?! You two kissed?! Oh man, you two are going out! You're gonna get married and have little emo babies with pink hair and creepy antisocial-ness!"

Hinata looked equally shocked. "Y-y-you two kissed? Congratulations, Sakura-chan!"

"Congratulations? What, it's not like we're engaged or something. Women…." I muttered beneath my breath.

Naruto nearly got ran over by a huge semi as he walked after us, still shocked. "I can't believe you two kissed before Hinata and I!"

The girl immediately reddened. "K-k-k-kissed?!"

He grinned sheepishly as we safely made it off of the road and before the tiny ramen stand. "Uh, I meant to tell you about that.."

"You meant to tell her about that? Baka." Sasuke walked, whistling, into the small stand, ignoring the blonde as he followed, spitting like an angry cat, his fur--I mean, hair--raised.

"Calm down, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata looked slightly pale and I hung back to talk to her.

"So, Hinata-chan….did that come as a shock?" I whispered with a grin.

She blushed and didn't answer, and I shared a quiet laugh with myself as we followed Sasuke.

We stepped inside the small hut, and my nose was instantly bombarded with wonderful smells. Naruto saw the dreamy expression on my face and grinned. "Doesn't it make you hungry?"

As if on cue, my stomach rumbled. I flushed slightly. "Ravenous!" I confessed.

"Me too!" he chirped back, and ran to the counter. "Hey, old man!" he called out.

A kind-looking man with grey hair looked up at the shout. "Have some respect for your elders, boy!" he yelled good-naturedly.

A pretty girl with dark hair came over to where Naruto stood and smiled. "Hey, Naruto. Oh, and Sasuke, you're here, too! And…" Her gaze slid to Hinata and I, and a mischievous light sparked to life in her dark brown eyes. "Are you four on a double date?"

"Yup!" Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and propelled her forward. "This is Hinata! She's my girlfriend!"

I had to clamp my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing at the startled expression on Hinata's face. "And I'm Sakura." I told the older girl once I'd sobered.

She smiled and said, "I'm Ichiraku Ayame. That's my father." She gestured to the old man Naruto had yelled at. "He's the owner and the cook. I do the other stuff."

She whipped out a pad of paper and a pen from behind her ear and looked at us expectantly.

"This is gonna be Sakura-chan's first ramen experience, Ayame-san!" Naruto said. "What do you think she should have?"

Ayame's jaw dropped. "You've never had ramen? Wow, that's…uh…wow."

I grimaced. "Well, I just moved here from Musaroghe and my family never really had the mon--time to go out." I scratched the back of my head nervously at my slip.

"Well, you certainly don't owe me an explanation!" Ayame assured me with a kind smile. "Hmm, for a first time ramen eater, I'd recommend the deluxe order. It's got everything, so you can get the full experience."

"That sounds great!" I exclaimed, already drooling at the scent of the ramen.

"Why don't we all get deluxe orders?" Hinata suggested without stuttering. I sent her a congratulatory wink.

"Hai! We'll take five deluxe orders!" Naruto told Ayame.

"Naruto, there are only four of us," I pointed out.

He looked sheepish as he admitted, "I ordered two for myself."

We all laughed for a long moment, then Ayame reached across the counter and ruffled his hair. "If you keep this up, one day you'll eat us out of house and home. You really should eat something else once in a while."

"Hey, I ate VEGETABLES last night! Hinata-chan made me! She's an awesome cook!" Naruto protested, smoothing his hair back down. I personally thought he was fighting a losing battle; I doubt all the gel in the world could smooth his hair completely.

Hinata flushed, but lifted her head proudly at the compliment. Ayame laughed. "That's good. Now, what would you pretty ladies like to drink?" she asked.

Hinata said, "Herbal tea, please," and I agreed.

"And the gents?"

Sasuke ordered tea also, but Naruto said, "Sake!"

Ayame laughed loudly, then said, "No way. You're getting tea, too."

He pouted as she moved away, still laughing. We each sat on a stool, and I flushed when Sasuke's hand brushed my leg as he scooted in.

Naruto gallantly pulled out Hinata's stool for her, then took the one next to hers. I leaned close and whispered, "how romantic!" teasingly in her ear. She reddened, and I laughed.

We made small talk until our food was ready, and as Ayame placed the large bowl before me, my mouth watered. "It smells sooooooooo good!" I moaned longingly.

"Wait till you taste it!" Naruto told me with a grin.

I said the customary prayer quickly, then broke apart my chopsticks. As I took that first bite, I swear that I heard angels singing. "Wow! This stuff is awesome!" I exclaimed.

Ayame beamed. "Yup, our ramen is the best!"

I finished the bowl and the tea in record time. Hinata hadn't been able to finish hers, and Naruto, who'd gulped both of his down, polished it off.

I glanced over at Sasuke; surprisingly, he hadn't finished, either. He was staring off into space.

"Sasuke-kun? You okay?" I placed a hand on his arm.

When he didn't acknowledge my touch, I ran my hand down his arm to where his hand rested on the counter and interlaced our fingers, giving his a squeeze.

This time he snapped from his reverie. He looked over at me and shook his head. "Gomen. I was just…thinking. Did you say something?"

"No." But I still watched him, worried at his sudden distracted nature. He never finished his ramen; he gave it to Naruto.

They fought over the check; eventually, they decided to each pay half. Hinata and I watched the testosterone fly with rolling eyes and furtive glances at the time.

When the meal was finally paid for, we thanked Ayame and her father and left the stand, walking back across the street to Sasuke's apartment building.

"Hey Sasuke! You got plans for this weekend?!" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shook his head, then glanced over at me. "Do you, Sakura-chan?"

"Uh…not really," I replied, pleased that he'd considered me.

"I thought we could all go to the beach! How cool would that be?!"

I grinned. "That sounds awesome!!"

"Y-you mean everyone?" Hinata asked.

"Yup! You, me, Sasuke, Sakura, Ino, Kiba, Tenten, Neji, Temari, Shikamaru, Gaara, Lee, Chouji--"

"That's a lot of people, Dobe." Sasuke said.

"Well, it'll be really really really fun! C'mon, guys! Go with me on this?" Naruto pleaded, giving us all puppy-dog eyes.

I tried fruitlessly to resist them. "Oh, all right! But only if Sasuke goes."

All eyes went to Sasuke. He resisted for a moment, then sighed, "Okay."

"Wahoo!" Naruto crowed, then grabbed Hinata's hand. "Well, sorry to blackmail and run, but Hinata and I have things to do! Bye bye!"

"Naruto, what--" Too late. He was gone, dragging Hinata behind him. I shook my head sadly. "That poor girl…"

Sasuke and I walked back into the building silently, rode in the elevator silently, got into the apartment silently, and--

"What's wrong with you?" I asked as soon as I shut the door behind me. "Why were you all melancholy back there?"

He walked into the kitchen, shedding clothes as he went. I followed cautiously and peeked around the corner. Good. Just boxers. I stepped inside the kitchen and said, "Are you going to tell me or not?!"

He went to the fridge and, rummaging around, pulled out two tomatoes and the jar of sweet pickles. He placed them on the table and raised an eyebrow at me. I took the invitation and sat down, patiently (ha, right, patiently, that's as good one) waited until he got two plates and a knife, then sat beside me.

"So….?" I left the question hanging, hoping he'd pick up on it.

He sighed, then finally said, "I was thinking about your brother."

I stared at him in shock. "Daisuke? What about him?'

"Not Daisuke. Kyle. You know, the one in the picture?"

I froze with a pickle halfway to my mouth, then dropped it back onto the plate and stared at him in shock. "Oh…you picked up on that?" I asked uncertainly.

He stared back at me expectantly. I sighed and said, "Kyle isn't actually my brother. Kyle was Daisuke's best friend since they were kids, so he was kinda like my brother. They did everything together. Until….well, Kyle was gay, too, and….he was Daisuke's boyfriend. When my mom and dad found out about it…they blew a gasket. That's why Daisuke left, to go off with Kyle, and…I haven't seen them again since."

I glanced up from my fallen pickle to Sasuke's face. He looked….sad. Sad?

"That's kinda what I figured." he said, then shook his head. "How could you stay with your mother and father? I would've ran away, too."

"I wanted to go with Daisuke, but he wouldn't let me. Said I was too young, and it would be harder on him and Kyle to take care of me, too. I didn't want to cause them any grief, so I stayed." I folded my arms on the table and laid my head upon them.

I felt something touch my head, and looked up. It was Sasuke's hand…he was stroking my hair. It felt good, so I put my head back down and smiled as he resumed the stroking.

The next thing I knew, I was moving--but was completely stationary. I blinked groggily in confusion, then noticed that I was pressed against something warm. Sasuke….

He was carrying me to bed….

Then I was placed against something cold and, deprived of his warmth, I whimpered and reached for him. He laid beside me and I instantly cuddled against him, burrowing into his warmth with a satisfied purr like a cat. I felt his warm breath shudder against my hair as I placed my head on his chest and breathed in his scent.

And I fell asleep.

**Whew! Well, I didn't quite meet my deadline….In fact, I completely missed it by sixty miles.**

**Naruto: What is that in the metric system?**

**Sakura: What do you care? You're a moron!**

**Naruto: -sobs-**

**Review, please!**


	16. Lilac, and Sasuke's first CPR experience

**Chapter 16! I started typing this immediately after the last one, so hopefully it would get done faster!**

**To candyluver…yes, that would mean that Sakura's mother was 13 when she had Daisuke. That is not so uncommon…I know plenty of people who have become pregnant so soon in their lives. It is sad, and unfair, but it's true. Besides, Sakura's mother wasn't too motherly to begin with. Who knows, maybe she was just young and scared….oh wait, I should know! I write the story! -sweatdrops-**

**And to Amara Johnson…really?! I'm so happy! Well, I'll try to get this chapter up sooner for you!**

**Ino: Kiba, do you think I'm just a pretty face?**

**Kiba: No! …I mean yes! I mean, not fat, definitely not fat…is this sorta what you're looking for?**

**Ino: Fat? Why would you even use that word?**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Right…I can see I'll have to read my own disclaimer.**

**Lee: I will read it for you, KisaLycorsis-san!!**

**KisaLycorsis-san: Arigato, Lee.**

**Lee: Youthful KisaLycorsis-san does not youthfully own youthful Naruto and never youthfully will! **

**KisaLycorsis-san: Next time, I'll just do it myself.**

_The next thing I knew, I was moving--but was completely stationary. I blinked groggily in confusion, then noticed that I was pressed against something warm. Sasuke…._

_He was carrying me to bed…._

_Then I was placed against something cold and, deprived of his warmth, I whimpered and reached for him. He laid beside me and I instantly cuddled against him, burrowing into his warmth with a satisfied purr like a cat. I felt his warm breath shudder against my hair as I placed my head on his chest and breathed in his scent._

_And I fell asleep._

"Sakura. Wake up, Sakura."

"Mmm, not now, Sas'ke, I'm tir'd." I mumbled, rubbing my face against my pillow, shutting out the annoying voice.

Sigh. "Sakura, I have to leave for school in an hour, and I really need to talk to you."

Against my will, Inner Sakura awoke and pulled me past the line between consciousness and unconsciousness, plopping me at Sasuke's feet. 'Listen to Hotty McHottness!' she yelled.

I sprang up in the bed, instantly wide awake. "Yes, Hotty McHottness?"

Sasuke frowned. "Who?"

"Ne'er mind." I rubbed my eyes and yawned without covering my mouth like a little kid, then glared at him blearily. "This be'er be good!"

Then he leaned over and kissed me on the mouth, and hundreds of my brain cells died a quick death. When he broke the kiss and pulled back, I stared at him stupidly for a moment, then said, "Well, that was pretty good."

He grinned, then shook his head. "I actually woke you up to talk. Get up and come out to the kitchen. I made breakfast."

I followed him with my eyes as he left the bedroom. When he'd shut the door behind himself, I flopped backwards onto the bed and let out a frustrated groan.

But I got up and trudged sluggishly to the bathroom all the same. A hot shower and harsh teeth-brushing later, I as my usual bubbly self, and bounced out into the kitchen dressed appropriately for the day ahead.

Sasuke was standing at the stove, stirring something in a pan, but when I walked into the kitchen, he turned. He opened his mouth to say something, but saw me and instead said, "What in the name of Kami are you wearing?"

I glanced down at my Hello Kitty pajamas and tossed my twin pigtails. "What are you talking about? This is what I wert when I stay at home? Don't I look cute?"

His right eye twitched. "You look like a five year old."

"An adorable five year old, right?" I pouted for a second, then looked over his shoulder. "You made scrambled eggs and bacon?! Ah, how sweet!"

"You're even behaving like a five year old," he muttered as I kissed him on the cheek and giggled.

"Oh come on, Sasuke-kun!" I pouted again. "Don't you just want to have fun once in a while?"

He did what he'd done earlier--kissed me senseless. This time I was better prepared for it, and was able to kiss him back. When we broke apart, he smiled down at me. "I can honestly say that I've never kissed a five year old like that before."

"Well, that's a good thing. I wouldn't want to kiss a pedophile," I replied with a giggle.

It was a while before we got to the eggs and bacon.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked as I swallowed a mouthful of gooey, cheesy egg.

"A couple of things. First, Tsunade-sama, the mayor, has signed another drunken contract. This one stipulates that our week-long project shall be extended another week."

I choked on a slice of bacon and had to thump myself heavily on the back. When my airway was clear once again, I said, "A-a-are you serious?! A whole 'nother week?! That's crazy!"

Sasuke shrugged. "I know, it's madness. But it's school, so…anyways, the second thing. You may have noticed that Spell hasn't been around much lately."

I started at the thought of the kitty. I hadn't noticed. "Oh, right. Where is she?"

He scratched the side of his face idly. "Well, she ran away."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So…I found another cat. She was lying out in the street and she's pregnant, a nd you'll need to tell me if anything happens while I'm gone."

"WHAT?!" I stared at him in shock. "You took in a stray pregnant feline and expect ME to take care of it?!"

He swallowed the last of his breakfast and rinsed off his plate and fork, putting them in the sink. "Yep. Her name is Lilac, and she's currently in a box in the guest bedroom. Keep an eye on her, clean up the house, and start calling people about the beach thing tomorrow."

"B-but-" I stammered as he grabbed his keys and went out into the living room and grabbed his bag from beside the couch. I followed him, still confused.

"It'll be fine, okay? Just watch her, and call me if she starts having contractions." He opened the front door and glanced back at me.

"Sasuke-kun, I-I-" I didn't know what to say, so I just kissed him.

It was long and languorous, and when it ended, we were both breathing heavily. His cheeks were alit with a light pink flush that could only described as adorable as he said, "We seem to be doing that a lot lately."

I gave him a goofy grin. "Are you protesting?"

"No." he sighed as he glanced at the clock. "But I'm gonna be late."

"Drive carefully!" I called after him as he ran down the hall. When he was gone, I sighed deeply and closed the door. Surveying the room, I was glad we hadn't eaten in last night…who knows what kind of mess we would have left! I tidied the apartment, washed our breakfast dishes, then, steeling myself, let myself into the guest bedroom.

The box was placed beside the bed, and I headed over to it, peering inside. "Oh, you are so cute!" I squealed as I saw the light purple cat. "And--and you're purple….that's strange." I thought of my own pink hair and how Sasuke had disbelieved that it was my natural color and shrugged.

She meowed at me pitifully, and I realized that she was acting very…strangely. Her butt was in the air, and she was panting. I pulled the phone from its hook on the bedside table and quickly dialed Sasuke's cell number, which I had at some point memorized by heart…

It rang and rang and rang, and then he answered. "What is it? I'm kind of driving!" he shouted, annoyed.

I rolled my eyes at him rhetorically, though I was impressed that he could talk on the phone and drive. "Well, head right back. Your purple kitty is having contractions, and I am NOT helping her give birth!"

He sighed. "I'll have to miss school, but alright….I'll be back soon. I didn't get very far, anyways. I'll see you in about ten minutes. Ja nae." And he hung up.

I spent the next ten minutes nervously waiting, not sure what to do to ease the cat's obvious pain. When Sasuke's key scraped in the lock on the front door and then he came into the guest bedroom, her meows had turned into yowls, and I stared up at him in concern. "I-I don't' know what to do. She's hurting--badly. And I don't know how to help her."

He looked pleasantly windswept, but worried. He came and kneeled beside me, checking his cat. He frowned. "I'm not sure what to do, either. It's kinda hot in here, though. Let's move her to my room."

"Are you sure it's safe to move her?" I asked as he gently picked up the box.

"It can't hurt. As long as I'm careful," he replied, and I scurried to open the door for him as he carried her out of the room, then through the living room and the hallway to his room. He placed her box on the bed and sighed when her yowls intensified. "Can you find the phonebook for me?"

It was hiding in the cabinet beneath the phone (which was the last place I looked), and by the time I'd found it, Lilac was having faster contractions. I gave it to Sasuke, and he hurriedly thumbed through it until he found the number to a vet. Dialing the number on the phone beside the bed, he put it to his ear and waited as it rang. "Yes, hello, this is Uchiha Sasuke, and I've got a problem. Is Dr. Inuzuka Tsume in?"

He knew the vet by name? Wow…

"Yes, hello, Dr. Inuzuka--alright, Dr. Tsume--" He rolled his eyes at me, and I giggled silently. "No, Spell ran away….yes, very sad….but I found a pregnant cat in the street this morning, and she's in labor."

There was a loud bang from the other line, and Sasuke winced as the torrent of cursing poured through into his ear. "I know, I know that's not a good thing to just take in a stray animal like that, but she was just so….pregnant!"

Whoever Dr. Tsume was, she sounded like she knew Sasuke. Hmm, maybe this was the sign of an obvious cat lover…?

"I understand that I'm a moron, Dr. Tsume, but can we please get back to Lilac?!" He blew out a frustrated sigh and shifted the phone against his ear. "She's breathing really hard, and--" A pause. "Yes, she's been in labor at least…" He glanced at me, and I held up ten fingers. "Ten minutes, at least….So what does that mean--? Uh-huh….yeah….uh-huh….YES, I KNOW I HAVEN'T BEEN IN TO VISIT IN A WHILE, BUT WILL YOU PLEASE FOCUS ON THE PREGNANT FELINE?!"

I really wanted to meet this woman.

He talked for a moment longer, then hung up. "She says that there's not really much we can do. I can't take her in to the vet because I have no car, and she can't ride on the motorcycle…Calling a taxi would take too long….Dr. Tsume doesn't take house calls over cats, even if she was a good friend of my mom's…"

"She was a friend of your mom's?" I latched onto the phrase, wanting to know just who the woman was.

He nodded distractedly. "Yeah, yeah, they were like sisters. Kiba and I used to play together when we were kids--well, he and Akamaru played and I stood and watched them acting stupid--"

"Kiba? Akamaru? Huh?"

He gave me a You're-Stupid look. "Dr. Inuzuka Tsume. Inuzuka….Kiba Inuzuka….Akamaru, Kiba's dog…"

"OOOOOHHH! You mean Dr. Inuzuka Tsume is Kiba's mom, and Akamaru is Kiba's dog! I understand!!"

"Well, don't act like you're so smart…."

I glared at him for a moment, then a squelching sound came from behind us. We both looked to the bed to see Lilac licking something near her tail--

"Oh gosh, she had one! She had one!" we both yelled simultaneously, then ran over to the bed. The kitten was very small, and wet-looking….

"Now she has to eat the sack…." Sasuke said nonchalantly, and I looked at him in horror. He shook his head and explained, "The mother cat eats the baby's birth sack so that it can breathe. Don't you know anything about cats?"

"I think you just know a little too much!" I retorted, then turned back to the box. "Oh, look, she really is eating it, gross!"

She licked the kitten all over, including his little nose, and soon he was mewing adorably, stumbling around blindly. "Aww, so cute! So, where's the next one?" I asked brightly.

"It could take hours for her to have all the kittens, Sakura," Sasuke explained wearily.

"WHAT?! HOURS?!"

5 Hours Later….

"This had better be the last one, or I'm quitting!" I announced.

"Shut up, I need to concentrate!" Sasuke said in annoyance.

"Oh, and what are you having so much trouble with, watching her give birth?! Tch, men! You guys just have to stand beside us and squeeze our hand! Us women, meanwhile, have to push and dilate and a bunch of other technical terms of whose definitions I'm not aware of!"

"Do you know how to shut up?!"

Great, now we were at each other's throats. It had been a long five hours, let me tell you….Lilac had birthed three more kittens; one was pure white, with a tiny gray mark on her left ear; one was black and white spotted, like a cow, his right paw striped; one was the same as her mother, purple; and the last one was orange…he reminded me of Naruto.

And now she was working on her fifth. I sincerely hoped that it was her last…

Even as I thought this, she birthed the kitten--Pop! It slid right out. "Alright, Lilac, work your magical eating-the-sack thing…." I muttered beneath my breath as she began to lick the pure black kitten. When she was done, she began to lick the purple kitten….but the black one didn't move. "Sasuke? The black one isn't moving!" I called his attention to it, him being the cat-birthing expert.

He studied the kitten, petting it along its side, then moving a finger to its nose, wiping away the last of the gunk. "He's not breathing."

I covered my hand over my mouth in shock, then pulled it away to say, "Well, help him!"

He stared at me incredulously. "What do you mean 'help him'? What can I do to help him breathe?"

"Well, can't you do CPR or something?!" I asked, panicking for some strange reason. All I knew was that, at that moment, if that little kitten died, the world would die. I was seriously freaking out.

He must have seen my panic in my face, for he turned back to the kitten and didn't retort on my less-than-professional observation. "I'll try, Sakura-chan."

He handled the kitten carefully, gently, as if afraid it might break, which it might. He dried it with a towel, opened his little mouth, and tried to feel if anything was blocking his airway. I watched fearfully.

He must have done something right, for as he once again passed the towel under the kitten's nose, it suddenly took in a deep breath--and let it out in a little kitten cry that echoed throughout the room.

"Oh thank Kami!" I cried out as Lilac turned her attention to her thought-to-be-dead son, cleaning him and edging him over to eat with his siblings.

Sasuke flopped back on the bed with a sigh of relief. "Yeah. Thank Kami."

He turned his head to look at me, and I looked at him, and it was in that instant that I knew, no matter how hard I wanted to deny it, no matter how stupid and crazy it was, that I was totally, helplessly, hopelessly in love with Uchiha Sasuke.

**Wow! That went fast. O.O**

**Kinda strange, huh, to fall in love over a kitten….this couple sure is weird.**

**I updated faster! Yay, hug me!! ………**

**………..seriously. Hug me.**

**I know this might sound a little crazy, the whole kitten-birthing thing….but I'd forgotten about Spell…and when I DID remember her, this idea suddenly just BOOM! Fell on me like a sack of potatoes on a ramen stand.**

**I added Kiba's mom because I just found out, by accident, that she and I have the same birthday, August 8th! Isn't that awesome?!**

**Review, please.**


	17. Kittens, the zoo, and War

**I would like to thank all who hugged me. It was deeply appreciated, thought I could not physically feel it. So this is chapter 17...and yes, kittens do have fur when their first born! I looked it up…..they have fur. Maybe not a lot, and it might not be long, but there is fur. There IS fur.**

**Gaara: I think you're in denial.**

**KisaLycorsis-san: I am not! I'm just being very firm and guiding!**

**Gaara: Why?**

**KisaLycorsis-san: It's in my new book! -whips out book- How To Train Your Readers! It's very educational…**

**Gaara: Rrriiiggghhhttt…..And on that strange note, I'd like to say that KisaLycorsis-san does not own Naruto.**

**KisaLycorsis-san: And my cat shredded my Naruto poster. I went into my room, saw it on the floor, gathered it in my hands and sobbed for an hour. No lie. And I also kicked her a couple of times….just kidding!**

**Sasuke: You….Kick….Kitty….!**

**KisaLycorsis-san: -cries-**

**And someone wanted to know why this story is rated M……good question. Next!**

**Oh, and I'm sorry this is so late. I burned my hand the other day, and I couldn't type…gomen!**

_He handled the kitten carefully, gently, as if afraid it might break, which it might. He dried it with a towel, opened his little mouth, and tried to feel if anything was blocking his airway. I watched fearfully._

_He must have done something right, for as he once again passed the towel under the kitten's nose, it suddenly took in a deep breath--and let it out in a little kitten cry that echoed throughout the room. _

_"Oh thank Kami!" I cried out as Lilac turned her attention to her thought-to-be-dead son, cleaning him and edging him over to eat with his siblings._

_Sasuke flopped back on the bed with a sigh of relief. "Yeah. Thank Kami."_

_He turned his head to look at me, and I looked at him, and it was in that instant that I knew, no matter how hard I wanted to deny it, no matter how stupid and crazy it was, that I was totally, helplessly, hopelessly in love with Uchiha Sasuke._

This new revelation completely took the wind from my sail. I just sat there, staring at him with wide eyes. He stared back at me for a minute, then said, "What? Why are you staring at me?"

I shook my head slowly to clear it, then smiled and went to lay beside him. "Arigato, Sasuke," I told him softly, then touched my forehead to his. "You saved Aiken."

He raised an eyebrow. "You named him already? They're my kittens."

"Sasuke-kun, your cat ran away--I'd bet money that it was because you named her Spell. I'm naming the kittens."

He grumbled something about annoying, but when I pressed a quick kiss to his mouth, he shut up. I grinned, then sat up and slapped him on the leg. "C'mon! Since you're off for the rest of the afternoon, let's do something fun!"

"Fun? You mean, like, go shopping or something?" he asked, suddenly sullen.

I gave him an incredulous look. "Shopping? That's your idea of fun? I was thinking something more like go to the zoo…"

"The…zoo…?" He seemed genuinely surprised.

"Yeah, the zoo. I've never been to a zoo. Konoha DOES have a zoo, right?"

"Um, yeah, Konoha has a zoo…and you want to spend our free afternoon there? Wouldn't you rather go shopping or something? Girly things?"

My nose wrinkled at the thought. "Uh, are you kidding?! I've always hated shopping! All the things for girls were either frilly or completely trashy! At least, the places I went." I shook my head. "No, I'd much rather go to the zoo. Unless YOU would like to go shopping or do girly things…"

A smile bloomed to life on his face--it made him look so happy and carefree--and he sat up. "The zoo sounds great! I haven't gone for years!"

"Well then, Mr. Happy Happy Joy Joy, let's get going!" I stood and pumped my fist in the air--then glanced down at my Hello Kitty pajamas and sweatdropped. "Uh, I'm gonna change first!"

"Good idea…" He shook his head as I turned to the dresser and rifled through it quickly, tossing clothes to the side, flinging them everywhere. I heard a curse behind me and turned to find Sasuke with a shirt on his face. He pulled it away and threw it back at me with a glare. "Watch where you throw things!" he said, annoyed.

I giggled and turned back to the dresser, pulling out a white T-shirt and a pair of dark jean shorts, proper zoo-visiting attire. I ran into the bathroom before he could say anything else and put on the outfit, undoing my pigtails that had fallen flat and brushing my hair out, then pulling it into a loose knot atop my head. Surveying my reflection in the mirror, I couldn't help but think of how childish I still looked….I don't usually wear makeup, and I was probably going to be sweating outside with a bunch of animals….I put on an extra layer of deodorant, wrinkled my nose at my reflection, then walked back into Sasuke's bedroom, careful not to bounce like a child. But that was the least of my worries, as I was going to find out very soon. (A/N: Ooh, foreboding!)

Sasuke had changed too--he'd put on a pair of long shorts and a dark blue T-shirt with a strange symbol on the back. "Hey, you've got a lollipop on your back!" I exclaimed.

"It's not a lollipop, moron. It's my family's symbol." he explained, eyes rolling.

"Your family's symbol? Your family's symbol is a lollipop?"

"It's not a lollipop! Let's just go!" He turned and stomped away, then turned back to look at Lilac. "We'll be back soon, okay, Lilac? Take care of your babies."

"She'll be alright. Look at her, she's a pro!" I said, reaching out and scratching her under the chin; she seemed to like that, for she purred and tilted her head to give me better access.

"Alright, you can name the other kittens, but I'm naming the purple one Lavender," Sasuke told me sternly.

"Okay." As he turned away, I smiled. I decided not to tell him that I was going to name her Lavender, too--I'll just let him think he won.

We were out the door in a flash and once again riding in that dumb elevator. As we rode down, I asked suddenly, "Does this complex have stairs?'

"Uh, yeah."

"Well, next time we're taking the stairs. This elevator blows!"

He shook his head and gave a small snort of laughter, which I ignored. I just glared at the walls in the elevator, hating that sinking feeling as it descended….I don't like elevators. They're scary.

I guess I should be glad that we didn't get stuck in it. We safely arrived in the lobby. I saw the jealous woman again--I kinda feel sorry for her. I've kissed Sasuke-multiple times-and she hasn't. Sigh. How tragic. Well, life must go on.

Sasuke stared at me as we left the complex; it might have something to do with the fact that I was whistling happily after being in such a bad mood in the elevator. As we waited for the valet to bring Sasuke's motorcycle around, my whistling turned into humming. "Hmm hmm hmm hmm……hmm hmm hmm…." Then I began to sing quietly, "La li la lo….la li la lo….."

"Shut up," Sasuke told me, and ignored me when I bristled angrily. When the valet finally brought the motorcycle, I was glaring at Sasuke furiously, and he was wearing a very evil smirk. Evil, evil smirk. Grr.

He lifted his helmet onto his head and secured it beneath his chin, then raised his eyebrows at me. I just stood there, staring determinedly over his shoulder at a very interesting person across the street….I'm not sure if it was a female or a male.

"Come on, Sakura-chan…I'm sorry. Don't you wanna go to the zoo?" He held out the other helmet to me tantalizingly. "We can see the elephants and the giraffes and the monkeys…the penguins…"

"Penguins?" My ears perked up at the word. "They have penguins? I love penguins!"

He shook his head ruefully. "I thought you would. Now come on. We want to get there before the penguins take their naps."

"Okay!" It was only when I had hopped on and he'd taken off that I realized, halfway to the zoo, that the penguins probably didn't take naps in the middle of the day….Damn all Uchihas!

Still, when we arrived at the zoo, I forgot all about my damnation of Sasuke's family and looked on in awe at all the animals. "Wow, Sasuke-kun, did ya see that?! Did ya see that?!" I squealed like a little girl as the monkey took my ice cream cone.

"Um, yes, I did. Aren't you upset that the monkey took your ice cream?" he asked uncertainly, as if he didn't understand why I was happy.

I rolled my eyes. "Sasuke-kun, monkeys steal! It's what they do! Don't you watch any movies?"

"Not ones that involve monkeys stealing things…"

"Well, we'll have to rent some! Anyways, let's go see the penguins!"

All in all, it was fun. A monkey stole my ice cream cone, we got lost twice on the same path, and Sasuke got slapped by a little girl…..I forgot to ask why she slapped him, but it was funny.

"It was NOT funny!" he growled as we left the zoo.

"It was TOO funny! That girl got you good….So, ready to go home?" I asked brightly, swiftly changing the subject.

He glared at me for a moment, then sighed. "Sure, why not. I wonder if the Dobe called anyone about the beach thing this weekend."

"Let me see your phone." I swiped the black electronic device from his pocket and flipped it open. "Aw, that's so cute! You and Itachi-sensei…Where was this taken?"

"A theme park….he made me go, and then he had someone take that picture and saved it as my background. I don't know how to change it," Sasuke told me, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

"Aw, you look so adorable! With your little…What is that on your head, a moose?"

"It's an octopus!" He snatched the phone back and pressed a few buttons. Then he held the phone up to his ear and waited. And waited.

I heard Naruto's bright voice loud and clear coming from the phone. "Hi, you've reached me, Uzumaki Naruto! I hope you knew that you were calling me. And no, I DO NOT DELIVER PIZZA! Anyways, I'm busy doing other stuff, so leave a message with your number or name or something….and if this is Sasuke-teme, then don't forget, I RULE AND YOU DON'T! HA, OH THAT IS SO RICH! OH HO! OH HO….oh ho…And if this is a bill collector, then I don't live here anymore. I moved to Suna, because…..I like sand. And that's the only reason……..I. Like. Sand. ……Damnit, this stupid machine is possessed! Delete, delete, delete! Okay, okay….Hi, you've reached Uzumaki Naru--Damnit, it didn't delete the other message!"

Sasuke just shook his head as the beep finally sounded, then said, "Dobe, you really need to change that message. Anyways, I wanted to know if you called anyone about that beach thing, because it would be better to leave tomorrow after school….and if you're wondering why I wasn't in school today, Lilac had five kittens….Lilac is my new cat….Spell ran away….Yeah. So, call me back." He ended the call, then turned to me.

I just raised my eyebrows at him and shook my head. "Never mind. Let's just go home. I'm so tired!!" I stretched lazily and grinned. "And a little hungry!"

He smirked. "Well, you are supposed to make dinner."

My jaw dropped and I cried out, "Huh?! Oh, come on, Sasuke-kun, you got today off! Can't you just--?"

"Nope."

"Grr!! Well, we could eat out….hey!" I brightened suddenly. "I have an idea! About when will Naruto call you back, do you think?"

"Well, probably not for a while, and--" He paused, then shook his head. "Oh no! We are NOT going over to Naruto's! No way no way no way!"

Twenty minutes later, we pulled up outside a nice building not far from Sasuke's apartment. He parked the motorcycle and we walked up to the large glass doors. "So, Naruto lives alone, too?" I asked curiously as we went inside.

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. His dad threw a fit when Naruto told him he was moving out; Minato-sama is a very good father. But he gave in eventually. Besides, he lives right next to Naruto."

My lip twitched into a smile. I was smiling too much since I met these people. "Wow. Really protective, huh?"

"Sort of. He's cool, though."

We rode up in another annoying elevator, and right as the doors opened, we were met with a scene of total chaos.

"This is not….normal…" Sasuke and I muttered together.

"Hey, Sasuke-teme, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out cheerfully. He had black makeup on his face, and he wore camouflage pants, jacket, and boots. He pulled the hard green hat off his head to get the bangs out of his face, but they fell back in place as he set it back atop the blonde spikes. "We're playing War!" he told them with a grin as he gestured to the bottle of soda in his hands.

"War…?" I repeated the word in confusion. "You're holding a 2 liter of soda and hiding behind a mattress."

"Hai, that's how you play!" he admonished me sternly, then added, "And it's a 3 liter. Dad got a special deal at the grocery store."

"Dad?"

At that moment, a man, almost identical to Naruto down to the spiky blonde hair, rolled around the mattress and twisted the top off his soda bottle. Green liquid and foam sprayed everywhere, including on me and Sasuke.

Naruto gasped and twisted his own cap, sending the orange soda flying. I shrieked and dove behind Sasuke, letting him take the brunt of the attack.

Then there was silence. I peeked from behind Sasuke's back and saw that the two blondes were glaring at each other. The older one shouted, "Naruto, you moron! You were supposed to let me blast you and lose the war!"

Naruto laughed. "Ha, yeah right! You may be my dad, but I will not give up! Not for anything! Not even if Kami himself told me to--"

"Naruto-kun, stop playing around! Dinner's ready!" Hinata's voice called as she opened a door down the hallway and came out of it.

Naruto instantly scrambled to his feet and saluted her. "Hai! I will eat now!!"

The man sighed and stood. "Dude, she's got you so bad."

Naruto glared at him and sniffed disdainfully. "She does not 'got me so bad'! She's just….I just….She's pretty!"

I gave a short giggle, then clamped my hand over my mouth when they both turned at the sound. "Umm…..Konichiwa!" I said brightly, with a nervous laugh.

Sasuke looked down at me where I was peeking around him and sighed. "I could've had normal friends, but noooo, I just HAD to befriend you morons!"

Naruto grinned and said, "Oh, I forgot you two were here! Would you…um….you're all wet."

"Hai. We're all wet. Because you two sprayed us with soda!" Sasuke continued bitterly. "Konichiwa, Minato-sama."

"Huh?" I glanced at the blonde man in the camouflage and gaped. "You're Naruto's dad?!"

He grinned proudly. "Yup. I'm Namikaze Minato. And you must be Haruno Sakura, Sasuke's girlfriend!"

Naruto. Will. Die.

**I don't like this chapter. I wrote it over a number of days, and I just couldn't find the right groove. I don't know…anyways, enjoy, and tell me how bad it sucks!**


	18. The Kid enters Stage One

**Chappie 18! I'm sooooooo sorry that this is late! My computer whacked out, and we had to start a whole backup. I cried when I got back on it and none of my documents were on it anymore! So I'm totally rewriting this chapter from scratch. I was almost finished with it before the backup...anyways, I'll try to make it all prettyful, kay? I mean, besides for having to use stupid Notepad...Notepad sucks, big time. Oh well...**

**Is it confusing to have changed the title of the story and my username at the same time? Sorry if this confuzled you guys...I was getting tired of KisaLycorsis-san, and the title of the story was stupid...btw, I changed both at about 2 AM in the morning, so they're sorta dumb, too.**

**Also, I updated the last time because my horoscope that day told me to. Weird, huh?**

**Sasuke: You talk too much.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: Oh yeah?! Well, you're...you...you don't talk enough!**

**Sasuke: -pouts- Whatever. Bi-cough-tch.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: What did you call me, you piece of--!**

**Naruto: -claps hand over Kisa's mouth- Uh, Kisa Kisa Yum Yum does not own me or any of the other characters except Kyle, Daisuke, and the Kid!**

**Sakura: I HATE THE KID!**

_"Huh?" I glanced at the blonde man in the camouflage and gaped. "You're Naruto's dad?!"_

_He grinned proudly. "Yup. I'm Namikaze Minato. And you must be Haruno Sakura, Sasuke's girlfriend!"_

_Naruto. Will. Die._

"G-g-girl-fri-friend?" I turned to Naruto with furious eyes filled with fire. "NNNNNNNNAAAAAARRRUUUTTTTOOOOO!!"

He squealed like a little girl and jumped clumsily over the mattress, screaming, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"

I heard a banging sound and turned to see Sasuke hitting his forehead repeatedly against the wall, muttering, "Stupid stupid stupid stupid..."

"Hey, being my boyfriend isn't THAT bad!" I shouted angrily.

"Ah, to be young again!" Minato sighed, as though wishing this madness upon himself.

Hinata thankfully chose that moment to say, "Er, um, w-would you like to stay for dinner, Sakura-chan, Sasuke-san?"

Okay, I'd like to take the moment to point out that every voice you hear has that certain something in it. Like Naruto's is sorta cheerful and everything, and Ino's is bubbly and kinda snooty-sounding at times, and Sasuke's is deep and sexy and gives me goosebumps and--I'm getting off track. What I meant was, Hinata has the kind of voice--soft, sweet, caring, nice--that makes people happy. So, naturally, my anger dissipated.

I beamed at her. "Of course! That's why we came! What're ya havin'?!"

Minato raised his hands in the air above his head and jumped up and down, reminding me so much of Naruto that I smiled. "Ooh ooh, can I come too, Hinata-chan?! Please oh please oh please?!"

Hinata giggled. "You join us for dinner every night, Minato-san!"

He grinned. "I know, but I thought I'd ask first!" He walked over to where his son was still cowering in plain sight behind the mattress and said, "Naruto, get up."

Naruto glanced up and asked, in a loud whisper, "Is she gone?!"

"Yeah, I'm gone!" I ran over and jumped on top of him and wrapped my arm around his neck in a classic headlock. "Say you're sorry!"

"Greeeeeeeeeegggghhhhh!" was his response.

"Greg? Who's Greg?" Minato asked in confusion.

"S-sakura-chan, pl-please, you're gonna k-kill him!" Hinata gasped out, staring at us in horror as Naruto let out a rattle-like sound.

"Just as soon as he says sorry!" I yelled.

A door opened down the hallway, and an annoyed voice called out, "Could you guys please keep it down--IT'S YOU!"

I let go of Naruto and tensed as I stood. "That voice...my moron senses are tingling...it's...THE KID!"

"Hey, I have a name!" he yelled. "It's Tomisho!"

I turned and confronted him with my hands on my hips and rolled my eyes. "Your name doesn't matter. I just call you the Kid. I mean, if I wanted to know your name, I'd've asked you for it."

"Ah, Tomisho!" Minato patted me on the head like a dog, and I allowed it...but only because I like the guy. "So you've met Sasuke's girlfriend?"

The Kid's jaw dropped, and I almost punched Minato in the face. I held myself in check, though. I mean, he was big enough to kill me with his thumb or something. "I am NOT Sasuke's girlfriend! Am I?" I turned to Sasuke in confusion.

He sighed. "I don't know. I mean, I didn't ask you, but you're living with me and we've kissed, so I guess--"

Minato gasped in horror. ⌠K-k-k-kissed?! You two kissed?! Oh man, you two are going out! You're gonna get married and have little emo babies with pink hair and creepy antisocial-ness!"

"Why does that sound familiar?" I mused aloud.

"Because blondes think alike--stupidly," Sasuke answered me with a growl. (A/N: Hey! I'm a blonde!)

"You just moved here days ago, and you've already got a boyfriend? Wow." The Kid shook his head in amazement.

"We're not going out! Are we?"

Sasuke banged his head on the wall again and groaned, "I don't know! I really don't know!"

"Aw, poor Sasuke!" I patted him on the shoulder and beamed. "You'll feel better once you eat some of Hinata's cooking."

"Yeah, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto piped up suddenly, after spending the last few minutes catching his breath. "Hinata-chan's cooking is, like, healing!"

Hinata flushed proudly at the compliment, and said, "We're not having anything really special, but--"

(A/N: Okay, I was going to look up Japanese cuisine online, but then thought, "Well, Sasuke and Sakura ate scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast...that's not exactly Japanese." So I decided they should just have something simple...though Japanese cuisine interests me greatly and I plan to pursue the subject quite extensively, I figured you guys were waiting long enough for this chapter, so...)

"Hinata-chan made curry!" Naruto butted in.

"Ooh, I love curry!" I exclaimed. "My brother made it all the time!"

Hinata smiled. "It's nothing special. I've just been trying to get Naruto-kun to eat more vegetables, that's all."

"What kind of curry?" I went on, ignoring her.

"Um, beef curry, with broccoli(A/N: Do the Japanese eat broccoli?), carrots, and--"

"Oh, that's my favorite kind!" I interrupted her. Wow, she's getting cut off alot. "I hope you made alot, Sasuke-kun and I went to the zoo and we're hungry!"

"Ooh, the zoo?! I love the zoo! I went last week! Did the monkey steal your ice cream, too?!" she asked.

"Yup! It was awesome!" I squealed excitedly.

Sasuke stared at us in horror, then turned away, shaking his head.

Then Minato did something that made me want to shoot him with a bazooka. He turned to the Kid and said, "Would you like to join us, Tomisho?"

I screamed, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

So, upon hearing this, the Kid, of course, said, "Hai. Arigato, Namikaze-san."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" So I screamed again. In fact, I kept screaming until Sasuke clamped his hand over my mouth.

"You're annoying," he told me with a sigh.

I glared at him, then grabbed his hand and bit it.

"Aaarrrggghhh!" he shrieked in pain and yanked his hand back. "You bit me!" he said in shock.

"Don't put your hand over my mouth unless you want to experience pain!" I told him haughtily.

After many insults and yelling, we finally went inside and sat around Naruto's table. It was big enough for us, but Sasuke was seated as far from me as possible, nursing his 'injured' hand. I guess I bite pretty hard.

Hinata brought in the food, and I sighed as the aroma of the curry washed over me. "Mmmm, that smells soooo good, Hinata-chan!" I exclaimed as she set a bowl before me. "Ooh, and rice, too? I'm in heaven!"

The shy girl flushed prettily as she placed another bowl in front of the Kid, who was seated next to me. Someone up above hated me. Alot.

As she joined us at the table, we all said, "Itadakimasu" and dug into the food.

"Wow! You'd give my brother a run for his money!" I told Hinata in amazement. "And he's a really good cook!"

Again, she flushed. "Arigato, Sakura-chan. I love to cook."

"And she's awesome at it!" Naruto grinned at the girl and I'm pretty sure that I saw his right hand clasp her left one under the table.

I smiled. "So...the real reason Sasuke-kun and I came was to see if you'd called anyone about the beach thing, Naruto."

Naruto smacked his head. "Crap, I forgot! I'll get right on that!"

He made as though to stand, but Hinata yanked him back down. "Eat first, Naruto-kun!" she urged him.

He scratched the back of his head. "Oh, right. Hehe...I forgot!"

"Wow, that's a change. Usually all you think about is your stomach, Dobe." Sasuke said.

"Shut up, Teme! Your girlfriend choked me!" Naruto yelled.

"Yeah, well, my girlfriend bit me!" Sasuke shot back.

"I am NOT your girlfriend!!" I shouted, then paused. "Am I?"

The Kid shook his head. "You people are crazy!"

"I like to think of it as 'mentally challenged'!" I told him cheerfully, then picked up my chopsticks and dug them into the curry.

The rest of the dinner passed in silence, except for the occasional insult the two morons (Naruto and Sasuke) threw at each other. Then, just when we were almost finished, the Kid said, "Hey, what did you guys mean when you said, 'The beach thing?'"

"Oh, we're all gonna go to the beach this weekend! We're leaving tomorrow after school! Wanna come?" Naruto asked innocently.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed again. "You can't invite the Kid!"

The Kid scowled at me. "Would you NOT call me that?! It's really annoying!"

"Everything about her is annoying," Sasuke told him, then quickly avoided my gaze as I glared at him.

"Aw, come on, Sakura-chan, share the love!" Naruto told me. "Tomisho really isn't that bad a guy! He's just sorta stupid and likes to trip people!"

"Hey!"

I sighed. "Alright, alright! He can come! But if you try to trip me one more time," I turned to the Kid and cracked my knuckles threateningly. "I'll kill you!"

He paled and waved his arms reassuringly, "Sure sure! Whatever you say! But, will you please call me Tomisho? The Kid gets on my nerves."

I pouted. "Fine! Tomisho!"

"Well, that's settled then!" The Kid--I mean, Tomisho--stood and smiled at Hinata. "Arigato, Hinata-san. The curry was excellent. But I have to get back home before Cara gets angry."

"Who's Cara?" I asked in confusion.

"My partner for this stupid project-thing. She's in our P.E. class--the brunette?" he said.

"Oh!" Now I remembered. The girl who'd played on our basketball team, then had gotten a bloody nose when I accidentally threw the ball and it hit her in the face. "Uh, how's her nose? I really didn't mean to hurt her." Now I was feeling guilty.

He shook his head. "She's fine. She's pretty cool most of the time, but when she gets angry--" He shuddered darkly. "You know if I go with you guys, she will, too."

"Yeah, Cara'll be fine!" I told him confidentally. "Tell her I'm sorry, and I hope she's okay!" I shouted after him as he headed out the door.

"Will do!" he called back, then shut the door behind him.

I sat back down and beamed. "Well, he's not a complete ass! Who knew?"

Hinata shook her head and smiled. "He's alright most of the time. And Cara's really sweet--most of the time. This weekend will be great."

Sasuke stood then, and bowed slightly. "Arigato, Hinata-chan. You're a very good cook."

She smiled again, then bowed back. "Arigato, Sasuke-san."

"Yeah, Hinata-chan, it was awesome!" I stood up and hugged her. She blinked in surprise, then hugged me back.

"Hey, don't I get a hug, too?!" Naruto whined. I rolled my eyes, then hugged him, too.

I looked at Minato, who was silently pouting in his corner. "Would you like a hug too, Minato-san?"

He instantly perked up, and I hugged him, too. Then, for good measure, I hugged Sasuke.

"Why're you hugging me?!" he asked, annoyed, but didn't pull away. I gave him a swift kiss on the cheek and grinned.

"Alright, take your PDA outside!" Naruto said, shooing us out the door.

I looked back at him and grinned again. "You're so insanely jealous! You should just hurry up and kiss Hinata already! Then you won't be such a stick-in-the-mud!"

Hinata eeped when she heard this, and almost fainted. Naruto glared at me, then roared, 'OUT!" And slammed the door in my face.

A moment later, the door opened and the blonde pushed Sasuke and Minato out. "You two too!" Slam.

Minato winced. "Ouch! My son needs to learn to respect his elders!"

"I feel the same way!" I told him brightly. "Well, it was great to meet Naruto's dad! He's a good kid!"

"'He's a good kid'?" Sasuke repeated. "You act like he's five!"

"Well, he acts it sometimes," Minato said, then shook his head. "But he is a good kid. He just gets...carried away sometimes."

"Yeah, he reminds me of someone," I pressed.

He smiled. "You're right...his mother was the exact same way!"

I smacked myself in the forehead. "That's not who I meant..."

Sasuke grabbed my arm and began to propell me towards the elevator. "Let's go. You'll never get through to him."

"Um, ja nae, Minato-san!" I called back to the blonde man as Sasuke and I stepped over puddles of soda until we got to the elevator and stepped inside.

"I like this elevator better than the one in your building!" I told Sasuke. "There's no demonic current in this one!"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Demonic current? There's no demonic current in my elevator! I don't even know what a demonic current is!"

"Well, it's evil! But this one is nice." I stroked one of the walls as we descended. "And it has pretty wallpaper!"

"You're judging it on it's wallpaper?!"

"Yup!" I glanced back at him. "Isn't it pretty?"

"No. It's ugly. I hate it."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Don't hate on the elevator! Just because it's prettier than yours...!"

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and we stepped out. To the elevator, I said, "I'll see you again soon!"

Sasuke stared at me weirdly. "Are you talking to an elevator?"

Needless to say, I was kinda tired. We hopped onto Sasuke's bike, and as we zoomed back to Sasuke's building, I held onto him and yawned, then finally put my head on his back and drowsed.

When the motorcycle came to a stop, I lifted my head with a snort and said, "I'm up! I'm up!"

Sasuke carefully got off the bike, then looked down at me. "Are you falling asleep?"

I nodded. "Uh-huh."

He sighed, then said something to the valet. Then, before I knew what was happening, he swung me up into his arms. "S-sasuke-kun, wh-what--?!"

"Just be quiet. You're too tired to walk. Kami knows you've been running around all day."

So I let him carry me into the building. And it felt nice, to be in his arms. I snuggled my face into his chest and smiled dreamily. I didn't even notice him leading me into the hated elevator, then down the hallway to his room. He had to maneuver me in his arms to unlock the door, and when he had, he walked in, then shut and locked the door behind us. Then he set me back down on my feet.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

I nodded, then stumbled towards his bedroom. "I need to take a shower." I mumbled.

"No way. You'd fall asleep and drown."

I gave him a lazy look and said, "You could shower with me."

He shook his head. "No way. We'd both fall asleep and drown."

I sighed. "But I smell!"

"No you don't. You smell good."

"If you say so..." I smiled, then rummaged in his drawer. "I'm stealing your shirt." I told him.

"Grab some boxers, too. The last thing I need is a peep show." he replied, handing me a pair of boxers with his family's lollipop on them.

I went into the bathroom and did my business, then changed into the shirt and boxers, brushing out my hair and letting it hang down my back, surprised at how silky it felt. Must be his shampoo.

When I re-entered his bedroom, he'd changed too, and was lying on the bed. I climbed in beside him, and snuggled up to him. He didn't say anything.

After a minute, I said, "Sasuke-kun?"

"Yeah?"

I looked up into his face and said, "I like you."

He blinked, then smiled. "I like you, too."

"And I really want to be your girlfriend," I continued.

He pressed a kiss to my forehead and said, "I really want you to be my girlfriend, too."

We lay there in silence for a moment, then I asked, "Does that mean we're going out?"

"Yes Sakura-chan, that means we're going out."

"Good." I buried my face in his chest, and drifted off to sleep with a broad smile on my face, my hand grasping his.

**FINALLY!!**

**Hope you guys liked this chapter. Oh, and Cara and Tomisho (A.K.A. the Kid) will be in it more often. Wow, I have alot of OCs, huh?**

**Enjoy!**


	19. Girlfriend, Boyfriend, and Shopping

**It's 2:22 in the morning here...I couldn't sleep, so I decided to begin Chapter 19! OMG, almost 20 chapters! I will definitely celebrate! And I've reached over 200 reviews! Yaysers!**

**Wow xXTroublesomeGirlxX, 6 reviews in a row...wicked!**

**To mangamaniacgirl--I know, you asked about it in your last review! But like I said, I had to start Chapter 18 over from scratch! I did address your concerns in the original, really! Believe it! Er, believe me! So, you want to know what's going on with Kyle and Daisuke...well, I have a plan for these two! But, sadly, they won't get too much screen time...who knows, I might do a sequel after this story! And they would DEFINITELY be in it! (No promises, though...) But my plan for this story doesn't really include them being in it much yet...just wait, please? I appreciate your love, though! Kyle and Daisuke appreciate it, too!**

**Sakura: I wanna see my brudda!**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: And you will...later.**

**Sakura: -cries-**

**And omg. I've had 36 reviews just since I put up Chapter 18! How cool is that?! Go me, go you guys, give yourselves big pats on the back.**

**Anyways, I just wanted to address one more thing. I'm too lazy to look back at my reviews to see who said it, but someone was talking about how random Chapter 18 was. Now, at first when I read that, I was pretty angry. But I understand that he/she wasn't talking about my story being bad. He/She was just saying that the last chapter was random. But I have to whole-heartedly disagree. There was a little silliness in it, but so do my other chapters. It served a purpose, too. I don't want this story to be boring and like some other stories I've read (no offense, peeps.) I'm pretty random myself, and it definitely comes out in my stories. Plus, I kinda molded Sakura somewhat after who I would be if I was more open, so she's naturally random. So, please, if you don't like random, don't read anymore. You'll just be severely disappointed. For those of you that LIKE random stories WITH plot, please enjoy.**

**Shino: May I say your disclaimer, Kisa?**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: -sweatdrops- Um, I have a confession...I hate bugs. I was attacked the other night by a roach the size of my head, so...you kinda scare me.**

**Shino: ...nevertheless, Kisa Kisa Yum Yum does not own Naruto or the characters besides Kyle, Daisuke, Cara, and Tomisho.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: You take rejection very well.**

_We lay there in silence for a moment, then I asked, "Does that mean we're going out?"_

_"Yes Sakura-chan, that means we're going out."_

_"Good." I buried my face in his chest, and drifted off to sleep with a broad smile on my face, my hand grasping his._

I awoke in the morning feeling deliciously refreshed and warm. I smiled and snuggled into my human marshmallow--then realised that there was something warm against my foot. Frowning, I glanced down and yelped.

Sasuke sat up, bolt-wide awake, and stared at me in shock. "Whazit?" he asked groggily.

"A kitten is eating me!" I yelled, staring down at where the orange kitten was licking my toe.

Sasuke's lip twitched as he too watched the kitten. "I think he likes you."

I grinned and tossed my head arrogantly. "He has good taste!"

He rolled his eyes. "Right...Have you named him yet?"

I bit my lip as I thought. "Um...I was thinking of naming it after Naruto, since he reminds me of him, but that might be confusing, but still...how about...Naruto?"

Sasuke sweatdropped. "Okay, Naruto it is...So the purple one is Lavender, the black one is Aiken, and the orange one is Naruto. There's two kittens left."

I glanced into the box that Sasuke had sat on the floor by his bedside and regarded the kittens. "Hmm, so the pure white one...she kinda reminds me of Hinata." I looked up at Sasuke and grinned.

He sighed and nodded.

"Okay, so Hinata, and..." Just the black and white one now. "Tom!" I announced.

"Tom?! How did you come up with Tom?!"

"Tom is a good name!" I protested firmly. "He looks like a Tom!"

"What does that mean?" he asked in confusion.

I rolled my eyes and tried to explain. "You can look at someone, and then their name, and it suits them! You look like a Sasuke!"

"I look like a Sasuke? What does a Sasuke look like?" He was getting more confused by the second.

"Never mind." I waved his questions away and stretched lazily. "I'd give you a good morning kiss, but I probably have morning breath."

He smirked and ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, probably. It tends to haunt you."

"Hey!" I protested, smacking his arm playfully. "You never complained before!"

He seemed to consider this for a moment, then smiled. "You're right. Why start now?"

I smiled back at him as he leaned closer and settled his lips over mine. If he himself had morning breath, I didn't notice; I was too busy. I leaned towards him, sliding my hands through his soft hair to hold his head in place as I took control of the kiss, moving my mouth over his. When had I gotten so good at this?

His own hands drifted down to my waist and drew lazy circles on my back as the shirt he'd given me last night to wear rode up to bare some of my skin. I broke the kiss to grin down at him and say, "Whoa, tiger! You must ask permission before stripping a lady."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Did you just call me 'tiger'?"

"What, you don't like it when I talk dirty?" I laughed when his expression turned confused again. "I'm kidding, Sasuke! Just kiss me, you moron."

He shook his head sadly. "Now you're calling me a moron. You're verbally abusive."

I responded by taking his mouth with my own again, wishing he would just shut up. And, as if he'd read my mind, he did, controlling the kiss and running his tongue along my lips. I giggled slightly when he suddenly rolled me underneath him, almost sending us both off the bed.

He broke the kiss at my laughter and glared down at me. "What's so funny?!"

"Nothing!" I chirped cheerfully, then giggled again.

"You're not supposed to laugh when a man is seducing you!" he told me vehemently, as if I were breaking some unspoken rule.

"Oh, so you're seducing me? You're not doing a very good job!"

His face turned teasing, and I knew something was coming...something evil. That's when he started tickling me.

"Gyaaaah! S-S-sasuke-kun, st-st-stop!! Ahahahahahahahahaha--stop! I'm ticklish--hahahahaha!" I bucked and twisted beneath him, trying to get away from his evil fingers as they roved over my sides and down my legs.

I am very ticklish. It used to be a topic of argument with Daisuke, Kyle, and I. They would tickle me, because they knew where I was the most ticklish. I'd peed my pants numerous times, damn them...luckily, Sasuke hadn't found THE ticklish spot.

He must be a mind reader. Because, at exactly that moment, his fingers roamed up to my neck.

I exploded. My giggles turned into cackles that rang throughout the room as I thrashed around wildly, somehow pushing myself off the other side of the bed.

"Ooph!" I landed with a plop on my back.

He peeked at me over the edge of the bed and grinned. "You must be really ticklish on the neck, huh?"

"If you tell anyone, I'll tell everyone you sleep naked and have a cat named Lilac!" I threatened, getting to my feet.

He just laughed at me. Damn all Uchihas!

The alarm went off about then, and I trudged sluggishly to the bathroom. But as I shut the door behind me, I grinned. Best make-out session of my life.

"Best make-out session of your life SO FAR..." Inner Sakura reminded me.

Damnit. I was hoping she'd died.

I took a long leisurely shower, using extra shampoo, and patted myself dry. I was towel-drying my hair when I realized that I hadn't brought any clothes in with me. "Crap..." I muttered to myself, then wrapped myself in a towel and opened the door, peeking out.

Sasuke, thankfully, wasn't in the room. Breathing a sigh of relief, I crept over to his dresser and rummaged through the clothes. "Okay, okay...now, what to wear?" I pulled out a pair of jean capris, a green short sleeved cotton T-shirt, a pair of panties, and a bra. Dashing back to the bathroom, I hurriedly changed, brushed my teeth with my pretty new pink toothbrush (my mom bought it when we moved to Konoha...apparently using the same toothbrush in two different towns is taboo), brushed my hair, and pulled the silky pink strands into a high ponytail.

A hard knock on the door made me jump. "Are you done yet?! You've been in there for an hour!" Sasuke voice came over muffled by the wood.

"Yup!" I pulled open the door and smiled at him. "I'm so excited!"

"Excited? Why?"

"Well, we're going to the beach after school, right? What's not to be excited about?!"

He smacked his forehead. "Damnit. We still have to pack."

My eyes widened in horror at the thought. "Oh gosh, you're right! Do you have any luggage or anything?!"

He shook his head as I shouldered past him into the room and began digging through his closet. "No, I don't. You'll have to buy some, I guess."

I stopped wrestling with a stubborn coat hanger that got in my way and stared at him. "Uh...me?"

"Well, yeah. I have to go to school, or work, or whatever." He walked over to his nightstand and pulled a stack of money out of the drawer. Counting it off as he walked towards me, he handed me the larger part of the stack. "Here. You go shopping today, and get some nice luggage. Black for me. Get whatever color you want, but please don't make it pink."

"Y-you want me to go...shopping?!" I asked, staring down at the money clutched in my hands. "But, I hate shopping."

"Ask Ino to go with you or something. I'm sure she'll go if you ask her." Catching my eye-roll, he smiled. "Spend as much as you want. Remember, I'm not poor. My family's rich. If Itachi wanted, he could retire tomorrow and still have enough to give his AND my children a sizeable inheritance. Besides, you're my girlfriend."

My pulse jumped at the word, but something was nagging at me. "Sasuke-kun, you know I'm not with you because you have money. Hell, if you suddenly lost everything in a horrible freak accident, I'd still want to be your girlfriend."

Sasuke smirked at me, and kissed my forehead. "I know. Just don't have such a guilty conscience. Go shopping with your girls. Have fun. Buy stuff for the trip. Whatever girls do with money and a set of wheels."

"But I don't have a set of wheels," I reminded him.

"Ino's family does. Ask her to pick you up. I'm going to make reservations at a hotel for this beach trip thing."

"Ooh, a hotel! Niiiiiiiice!"

While he made the call, I got on his home telephone and dialed Ino's number. If I was going to be tortured into shopping, she was sure as hell going, too.

"Moshi Moshi!" She answered on the second ring.

"Hey Ino, it's me."

"Ooh, Sakura! What up?"

I scratched my calf with my foot idly as I said, "I'm being forced to go shopping. Wanna come?"

"ARE YOU KIDDING?! I LOVE TO SHOP!" she shouted into the phone.

I held the receiver away from my ear and smiled. "Okay, okay. Can you come get me?"

"Of course! Oh gosh, we've gotta call Tenten and Temari and Hinata!! We'll have so much fun!!"

"Alright, you call them. Ooh, tell Hinata-chan to invite Cara!"

"Who?"

"The Kid--I mean, Tomisho's partner for this project. They live down the hall from Naruto."

"Oh...okay. Oh, I remember her! Brunette, you made her nose bleed the other day in gym."

"Yeah, I know...anyways, gotta go. Give me about half an hour!"

"Okey-dokey...see ya then!" A click told me she'd hung up.

I turned back to Sasuke, who'd also just disconnected his call. "Hey Sasuke-kun, do we even know how many people are coming on this trip?" I asked. "How many rooms did you reserve?"

He bent to pet Lilac and answered me casually, "Oh, the whole hotel."

"WHAT?!"

Sasuke looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. "The Uchiha family, that is to say, Itachi and I, own a hotel right on the beach. It's usually kept for guests, but I've reserved it for us. What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal?!" I stared down at him incredulously. "A whole freakin' hotel?! That's...that's pretty...wow."

He smirked that smirk that I hated and loved so much. "Don't worry about it. Just go shopping, then come back here and pack for us."

As he moved away, towards the bedroom door, I said, "Wait--pack for both of us? How am I supposed to know what you want to take?!"

Looking back over his shoulder, he pointed to the bed. My gaze followed his finger, and there sat several neat piles of clothes and assorted toiletries. "Oh..." I said sheepishly. "Right. Okay. Got it. Hey, are you gonna make breakfast?!"

He didn't. I ended up eating cold cereal. He sat across the table from me, eating a bowl of Froot Loops, watching in ausement as I consumed two bowls of Strawberry Delight Frosted Mini Wheats. (A/N: One of my fav cereals, though I prefer the maple and brown sugar myself.) I finished off by drinking the pink milk in the bottom of the bowl, and licking the spoon clean. "You really like that stuff, huh?" Sasuke asked me.

"My favorite kind! You enjoying your Froot Loops?" I glanced at the soggy cereal in Sasuke's bowl and shook my head. "Ugh, soggy cereal is nasty! I try to eat mine quickly, before it gets soggy."

"I noticed," he replied with an amused glance at my empty bowl. He stood with his bowl and scraped the colorful soggy cereal into the trash. "I wasn't very hungry, anyways."

I shrugged. "Okay. Hey, we'd both better hightail it. You're supposed to be at school in twenty minutes, and Ino will be here in--"

Rap. Rap. Rap tap tap. Rap tap tap. Knock. Knock. Bang. Bang. Bang. Ban--

"Alright Ino, we get it!" I shouted as I stomped through the apartment and unlocked the door, flinging it open.

It was indeed Ino, looking very much like a Chesire cat with her sly grin. She wore a jean mini-skirt with a blue halter top and cute little blue sandals on her feet. Her long blonde hair was in it's usual ponytail, with small blue butterfly clips holding a few short hairs by her ears in place. Her grin grew wider when she saw Sasuke behind me. "Hey hey, Sasuke! Shouldn't you be at work?"

He grunted an answer at her, and grabbed his bag from next to the door. Just now noticing that he was already in his uniform and ready to go, I could do nothing more than watch as he slipped his keys into his pocket and kissed me on the cheek. "Ja nae. Remember, no pink luggage!" He shouldered past me and Ino with an apologetic grunt and stalked off down the hall.

Ino stared after him with an annoyed frown. "What's his problem?"

"I'm not sure. He was fine just a minute ago." I shrugged.

The blonde girl waved off this incident and switched to another topic. "Hey, he kissed your cheek. Have you guys...?"

Knowing she meant kissing, I nodded. She squealed and darted past me into the apartment. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! You guys have kissed?! Oh gosh, you have to tell me EVERYTHING! Is he a good kisser? Who kissed who first? How many times have you kissed? Does anyone else know about this?!"

I blinked at her stupidly. "Uh...well, we kinda kissed each other...we've kissed multiple times...Naruto and Hinata know...and..." I hesitated.

"So, is he a good kisser or not?!" she pressed, her eyes narrowed as if she were an interrogater and I was a stubborn victim.

"Hai, he's an excellent kisser!" I told her finally.

She squealed again and clapped her hands together. "I knew it, I knew it! Aw, maybe I should get him to talk to Kiba! Kiba hasn't made one move on me since I moved in with him. Mind you, we're living in his parent's home. Still, you'd think he'd at least TRY to kiss me! The bastard!"

I smiled as she ranted on and on about how unfair it was that Kiba didn't take advantage of their project to make-out with her. She was kinda funny when she got mad...

"Sakura? Sakura? Are you listening to me, Sakura?"

I jolted out of my reverie to her frowning at me, hands on her hips. "Huh? I'm sorry, Ino, I dozed."

She sighed. "That's alright. Now, I asked if you were ready to go."

"Yeah, yeah. Just let me grab my money." I ran into Sasuke's room and grabbed the money I'd laid on his bed when he'd handed it to me, told Lilac goodbye, and raced back out to Ino. "All right, let's go!"

When we got down into the lobby and outside the main doors, my jaw dropped. "Whoa! Ino, is this yours?!"

"Yup!" The blonde grinned at me. "Come on, the girls are already inside."

I got into the luxury vehicle apprehensively. To scratch such an expensive car...I shudder in fear of the bill of repair. Inside it was huge. Like a limo, but not quite as long. "Hey guys!" I exclaimed as I took in Hinata, Temari, Tenten, and the brunette all sitting comfortably in the back.

Hinata looked so very pretty in her plain white sundress with the light gray band right beneath her breasts. She smiled at me and said, "Ohayo, Sakura-chan. You look very pretty today."

"Ah, you're gonna make me blush, Hinata-chan!" I told her with a grin.

"Your hair is so pretty, I'm jealous." Tenten told me with a slightly envious tone in her voice. She was looking quite pretty herself, and while her hair was still in its characteristic buns, they were tied up with black ribbon, and she wore a pair of white capris with a black long-sleeved shirt proclaiming 'Music is my Anti-Drug' in bold white letters.

Temari looked completely different. Instead of it being in her four ponytails, her hair was down and reached slightly past her shoulders, resting against her indigo kimono that was held together at the waist by a black sash. "Wow Temari-chan, you look awesome!" I told her in admiration.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Why is it so difficult for everyone to imagine me wearing a dress?"

"Hehehe..." In an effort to get out of answering, my gaze strayed to Cara, who hadn't said a word. "Oh, hello Cara-san!" I said politely. "I'm Sakura. I just wanted to apologize again for the other day in gym--"

"No no, it's fine. I wasn't paying attention!" she said with a wide smile. I instantly liked her. "Besides, my nose is completely fine now."

I studied her in awe. She was even prettier than I'd thought. Her brunette hair was actually dark brown, almost black, and was lying down her back in a straight waterfall that I feverently wished my own hair would do. Her eyes were a darker green than mine, like an emerald. She sat up straight in her seat, like a regal princess. Her outfit looked very expensive; a dark green dress, made of silky material, with large interwoven designs in black thread. "Wow...your dress is...amazing!" I exclaimed, eyeing the magnificent creation. "I don't usually wear dresses, but you'd have to pry me away from that!"

Cara smiled and smoothed an imaginary wrinkle from her lap. "My mother brought it back from Suna with her last month. She knows how much I love garments like these, so she bought it for me."

"The designs are so...cool!" I couldn't think of a better adjective.

"Umm...Sakura, I don't mean to interrupt, but where exactly are we going?" Ino asked.

I started. "Oh, uh...someplace where I can get some lugggage and other stuff for the trip."

A smile graced Ino's face as she said, "Okay...TO THE MALL!!"

The mall was very impressive. Larger than larger, bigger than bigger...in fact, it was so large, I was pretty sure that they must sell nuclear weapons there, too. As we got out of the car, I stared up at the bilding in awe. "Wow. It's so...big."

Ino sighed dramatically and said, "This is my home away from home."

"I believe it," I told her with a snort.

She scowled at me and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Whatever. Let's just go in already!" She was practically shaking to get inside, I could tell. She must be a real big shopping fanatic.

I'm not even going to bother to tell you what happened. All I can say is that by three o'clock, I had two sets of luggage, black for Sasuke and dark green for me, several new outfits, three new swimsuits, a pair of beach sandals, and a few basic needs, like deodorant and toothpaste. And I was completely exhausted.

"You look like you're about to pass out, Sakura-chan," Hinata told me in concern. The others were all laden down with shopping bags, too. My stuff was, of course, heavier, and Hinata, who hadn't gotten anything larger than a new swimsuit, was helping me out. She had all my other purchases, and I was lugging the luggage.

"I'll be okay, Hinata-chan," I panted, brushing my arm across my sweaty forehead and eyeing the distance between me and Ino's car. About...three feet. "Okay, I can do this!" I told myself brightly, then went forward, dragging the heavy luggage behind me.

I did eventually make it and stowed my stuff in the trunk with a sigh of relief. The ride back to Sasuke's apartment was short, and we were there in no time at all. The others told me that they were already packed and ready to go, so I let them follow me up to the apartment. Letting myself in, I glanced around. No sign of Sasuke. Good. If he came out of nowhere wearing nothing but boxers, I was sure the other girls would melt. I do.

We lugged my stuff into Sasuke's bedroom, and onto the bed. I began to pack Sasuke's suitcases while the girls gazed around and commented on things. Ino went over to the dresser and opened a drawer slyly, but I caught her in a glare, and she closed it hurriedly. Once I'd finished putting Sasuke's stuff into his luggage, I turned to my own. First I put in the things I'd just bought, then I went to the dresser.

"Uh, what are you doing, Sakura?" Ino asked.

"Getting my clothes, what else?" I answered, as if it were obvious.

She looked horrified. "Wait. Your stuff is in his dresser...so..." She gasped in shock. "You're staying in his room?!"

The others all gasped, too. My cheeks burning, I cursed myself as six different kinds of stupid. "Uh...yeah?"

Temari winked at me slyly. "You go, girl."

"Waah--no, don't get the wrong idea, we aren't--doing anything! We just...share a room!"

"And a bed?" Cara input, with a cagey grin.

"Uhh...yes?"

Hinata looked ready to faint. Maybe, later, I will laugh at this, but now I was too embarassed. "Look guys, it's not that big a deal! Just...don't tell anyone, okay? ESPECIALLY not your partners!!"

Tenten waved away my concerns. "Think nothing of it, Sakura-chan. We won't tell. Right, INO?!" She glared at the blonde.

Ino sweatdropped. "Uh, yeah, of course! I would never tell on you!"

"Good." I breathed a sigh of relief. "Now, you guys had better go before--"

"What. The. Hell."

I froze at the voice and turned to find Sasuke in the doorway, his jacket in his hands and his shirt halfway unbuttoned, his tie long gone. "S-s-sasuke-kun! Y-you're home!"

I was dead.

**Finally! Phew, that took a while! Enjoys!**


	20. Naruto, did you just say that!

**Songs I listened to while typing this: Fully Alive by Flyleaf, All Around Me by Flyleaf, This Is My Now by Jordin Sparks (the one she sang as her last song on American Idol--YAY!), Summer Love by Justin Timberlake, and a bunch of Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne, Bad Girlfriend by Theory of a Deadman.**

**To xXTroublesomeGirlXx...I wish I could update on your birthday, but, alas, my Internet might be getting shut off on Thursday. -hangs head- And the day before my own birthday, too! I'm turning 17 on Friday...But, I will dedicate this chapter to you.**

**Dedicated to: xXTroublesomeGirlXx...happy birthday! -throws rice- Oh wait, that's weddings...uh...well, okay!**

**To hollowinside93: lol. Long lost twin? Perhaps.**

**So I might not be able to update for a while...but I'll keep writing, and post as soon as possible! Donations to my telephone bill are welcome! j/k Enjoy this chapter. I worked hard on it.**

**Shino: Finally, I'm in it.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: Yes, I included you.**

**Gaara: I. Want. My. Cookies.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: I didn't take your cookies. Did the Cookie Monster take them again?**

**Gaara: No. Kankurou took them.**

**Kankurou: WHAT?! I DON'T EVEN LIKE COOKIES!**

**Gaara: You lie! Sand Coffin!**

**Kankurou: Gyaaah!**

**Temari: -eats cookie- You get him, little bro!**

**Kankurou: Gyaah! Kisa Kisa Yum Yum does not own Naruto, or anything but this story and her OCs!**

**Gaara: Nyah nyah nyah!**

_"Good." I breathed a sigh of relief. "Now, you guys had better go before--"_

_"What. The. Hell."_

_I froze at the voice and turned to find Sasuke in the doorway, his jacket in his hands and his shirt halfway unbuttoned, his tie long gone. "S-s-sasuke-kun! Y-you're home!"_

_I was dead._

"Uh...well! Um...oh, uh, you guys should probaby, uh, go get your...stuff for the trip!" I told the girls.

Ino wasn't going to let it go that easily. She grinned at Sasuke and said, "Hey, Sasuke! How was 'work'?"

"Ino!!" I growled warningly in my throat.

She ignored me and raised an eyebrow at Sasuke. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and said, "You. All of you. Out."

They didn't need to be told twice. His look was murderous. Pretty soon, it was just Ino and I left, and I had to drag her out by the arm. "Come on, Ino, you need to GO!" I told her through gritted teeth, and flung her out the front door, slamming it shut behind her. I heard the girls giggling amongst one another as they walked down the hall.

"What the hell?! How could you let them into my room?!" Sasuke growled at me as I walked back into where he still stood, arms crossed and glaring at me like I'd just been caught robbing a bank dressed in a bikini.

"They were helping me pack!" When his expression didn't change, I sighed. "Look, they weren't hurting anything! And just ignore Ino. She's a moron."

His expression still didn't change. Trying to distract him from his anger, I pointed to his new luggage. "Look! I got you some pretty black luggage, and packed for you! Oh come on, are you still mad about that dumb thing?"

"Dumb thing?!" Uh-oh, he looked murderous again. His face was twisted up as he shouted, yelling obscenities and threats and spitting like an angry cat.

When he stopped for breath, I said, "You know, you're pretty damn cute when you're angry."

The phone interrupted him before he could say anything else. I dove across the bed and lifted the receiver off of the cradle and said, "Moshi Moshi, Sasuke and Sakura's residence, Sakura speaking!"

"Yo, wassssssssssuuuuuuuuuppppppp!"

I mentally punched him in the face even as I said, "Naruto, don't be gay."

"GAY?! HINATA-CHAN ISN'T GAY!!"

"I was talking about--never mind. Sasuke-kun's right; you're a dobe."

From across the room, I swear I saw Sasuke smile, before it was replaced by his angry frown. Into the receiver, I said, "You guys ready to go or what?"

"Uh...oh, wait! Where's Hinata-chan?! Isn't she supposed to be with you?!"

"Um, yeah, but they left a little bit ago. She should be there soon."

"Okay. As soon as she gets here, she can help me pack, and then we'll be ready. We'll pick you and Teme up in about...an hour!"

I glanced over at Sasuke as I replied, "Uh, you'll pick us up? How are we getting to where we're going, exactly? I don't even know WHERE we're going!"

"The beach, of course! And we're taking the bus."

"The...bus...?" I blinked at Sasuke, who also looked shocked. "What bus are we taking there? The city bus? Does Konoha HAVE a city bus?!"

I heard Naruto scoff on the other end. "No, not the city bus! We're taking a bus Dad rented for us! Isn't he the coolest?!"

"Er...yeah, Minato-san is the coolest..." I agreed absently. "Just how many of us are going, exactly?"

"Eh...you, Teme, me, Hinata-chan, Ino, Kiba, Shikamaru, Temari, Gaara, Tenten, Neji, Lee, Chouji, Kankurou, Cara, Tomisho, Shino, and...I think that's it."

My eyes bugged out and I almost dropped the phone. "WHAT?! SO MANY PEOPLE?! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO SHINO IS!"

"Oh, Shino is an old friend of Kiba's. He was absent your first day. Something about his butterflies escaping. You'll like him, he's really quiet. Hey! Hinata-chan's back! Gotta go, Sakura-chan--just be ready in about an hour!"

"Right...bye, Naruto!" I hung up, then turned to Sasuke, who didn't look angry anymore. "Uh, he says to be ready to go in an hour. I can't believe so many people are coming."

"Well, that's the Dobe," he sighed, then said, "I'm still mad at you."

"I know, babe." I grinned as his cheeks flushed at the endearment. "But hey! I gotta finish packing!"

"You're not done yet?" He watched me rush into the bathroom and grab my things that I'd brought from my house and dump them on his bed. "How can you not be done yet?"

I glared at him with my hands on my hips and said, "Uh, I had to pack for you, cumquat! Now make sure I got everything!"

"Did you just call me a cumquat?"

We were finished within twenty minutes, so we spent the rest of our time lounging on his couch in his living room, flipping through television channels. He had the remote; we'd had a brief wrestling match over it, but he knew my ticklish spot, so I'd already lost. While he was channel-surfing, I studied his profile from the side. He really was handsome. Not handsome like Naruto--Naruto was cute and bubbly, and Sasuke was sexy and broody. That was okay, though. Hinata was kinda quiet and reserved, so Naruto was good for her. I'm really loud and random and strange, so Sasuke's good for me, too.

He caught me staring at him and pecked me on the cheek. "What're you staring at?" he asked in a teasing voice.

I smiled, then swiped the remote from his grasp. "Ha! I got it!" I cried out, holding it high above my head.

"Oh no you don't!" He tackled me, and I hugged my treasure to my chest tightly, squealing when he tried to rip it away from me.

We were laughing and wrestling when the front door opened and a familiar voice said, "Oi, next time put the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door! I don't wanna catch you guys in the middle of your strange animalistic satanic sexual acts! Poor Hinata-chan, her virgin eyes!"

Sasuke disentangled himself from me and glared at Naruto. "Dobe, fuck off!"

"Now, now, language, Sasuke-kun!" I admonished him, then turned to Naruto and shouted, "You stupid-head! Don't walk into other people's homes, fuckwad!"

Yes. I have a cursing problem. I've tried treating it, but the medicine didn't work, and the members of my support group got tired of me falling off the wagon and quit.

Hinata appeared behind the blonde and pressed her fingers together nervously. "A-ano...Sakura-chan, your c-c-cursing..."

I sweatdropped. "Gomen nasai, Hinata-chan!" I jumped up and beamed at them. "You guys ready to go?"

"Because if you're here for any other reason, I'll kill you both!" Sasuke added threateningly, and Hinata took refuge behind Naruto.

"He's kidding, Hinata-chan," I reassured her, then tugged on my boyfriend's arm, muttering, "Let's go get our luggage, Sasuke-kun...you cumquat."

"Did you just call me a cumquat again?!"

In the next ten minutes, chaos ensued in the apartment. Well, not really. Naruto was going through everything, including the fridge, and stealing things, but Sasuke didn't appear to mind. It must be some kind of male-bonding ritual to steal each other's stuff. Hinata stood by the door nervously, clutching the suitcase I'd thrust into her arms. She helped me carry my stuff down into the lobby, and Naruto watched Sasuke struggle with his all the way down. I forgot my hatred for the elevator (because I'd have to be STUPID to lug my stuff down the stairs) and we arrived safely in the lobby. The jealous woman's eyes lit up when she saw my luggage, then dimmed when she saw Sasuke's.

I might have to kick her ass one day. One day...very soon...

As I walked out the main doors, my jaw dropped. "Oh...my...Bob..." I murmured in awe as I eyed the bus.

The Bus. It was HUGE. As long as a limo--longer than a limo--it was pretty, sleek and black, and filled with people. I saw Kiba's grinning face pressed against a window, along with Ino's. "Wow..." I breathed out.

"Yup. Isn't it cool?" Naruto slung an arm around my shoulder and waved to them. "I told Dad he should have gotten the longer one, but this one is good, too."

"Longer one?!"

Ino's window went down and she yelled out, "Oi, you morons coming or what? We're not gonna sit here all day, ya know!"

"We caught Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme in the middle of some weird mating ritual!" Naruto called back to her. Sasuke got his revenge by stepping on the blonde's toe. It looked like it hurt.

The doors of the bus opened, and our driver beamed at us. "Great! You guys ready?"

"Minato-san?!" I blinked at the older man, who wore blue jeans and a red shirt that said 'Blondes Have More Fun!' in bold black letters. "You're driving us there?"

He grinned that grin that reminded me so much of Naruto and said, "Yup! Then I'm gonna go visit some friends and swing back up to get you guys Sunday afternoon. Don't worry, I won't barge in on your crazy teenage parties."

"Yeah, that would be totally lame!" Naruto agreed, nodding. "Anyways, can you help us put their luggage away?"

The men argued over who would stow our stuff into the luggage compartment on the side of the bus; Minato won. Sasuke and Naruto ended up sporting head bumps. I shook my head at my boyfriend's bad luck and asked if he wanted me to kiss his boo-boo and make it all better. He gave me the stink eye.

We got onto the bus, and I sighed when I felt the cool air conditioning hit me. The bus was jam packed with teenagers. We made our way to the back of the bus, being stopped at every seat to greet someone. I patted Tomisho on the head as I passed him and Cara, and she giggled when he glared at me.

Finally, we made it, and I sank into the back seat with a sigh of relief. Sasuke sat in the seat directly opposite me, and Naruto took the seat in front of him. Hinata hesitated, then took the seat in front of me.

I immediately leaned over it and poked her in the cheek. "Hey, hey, hey, Hinata-chan, Hinata-chan, Hinata-chan!" I repeated myself annoyingly, like a little kid.

She just laughed and said, "Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"Did you bring the stuff you bought today at the mall?" I asked, continuing to poke her.

At her nod, I grinned. "Good. Can I borrow a couple of those EXTRA LARGE CONDOMS you got?"

Every head in the bus swiveled towards us. Naruto and Sasuke gaped at us as Hinata sputtered, "Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what?! Sakura-ch-ch-chan, I didn't b-b-uy any c-c-c-c-c-c-condoms!"

I rolled my eyes, then winked at her. "Oh, OKAY...Right. You didn't buy any!" I said, emphasizing every word.

Her eyes widened. "No, Sakura-chan, I didn't--"

"She's joking, Hinata," Sasuke told her, raising his eyebrows at me. "Sakura-chan has a STRANGE sense of humor..."

"Gomen nasai, Hinata-chan! I couldn't help it!" I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "Are ya mad?"

Hinata shook her head and managed a weak smile. "No. I'm not mad. Just...a little bit in shock, that's all."

Naruto blew out a relieved breath. "Good thing, Hinata-chan! For a moment there, I thought you were planning something for this weekend..."

"Naruto, you're a 'tard," I told the blonde as Hinata reddened. "If anything, I should be thinking you're planning something for poor Hina-chan..."

I turned to Sasuke with a frown. "Which reminds me. What exactly are the sleeping arrangements?"

"Well, we each have our own rooms. But a bunch of them connect to another room." His look told me that he was talking about me sleepwalking into his room. "Yours leads into mine, naturally."

"Why 'naturally'?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"Well, she is my girlfriend," Sasuke told him obviously.

"WHAT?!" This shout came from Ino, who, despite the moving of the bus, sped back to us so fast that she was a blur. She was seated beside Hinata in an instant, staring at me, mouth agape. "You didn't tell us this morning that you and the King of Kewl are dating! Uh, hhheeellloooo, deets, deets!"

"Uh..." I glanced over at Sasuke, who looked on nonchalantly. Bastard. "Uh...well, we kind of, uh, asked each other out last night...and...we each said yes?"

Ino glared at Sasuke. "You bastard! You could of at least told ME!"

"Why would I tell you? I hate you."

I giggled, then it immediately ceased when the blonde swiveled to me with that intense glare. "Are you making fun of me?!"

"Yes," Sasuke answered for her; his expression didn't change when her glare redirected at him. "What? I'm stating the obvious."

"Whatever!" Ino stood, then glared at me again. "I expect the full details of this strange occurence when we get to the hotel! Until then..." She stalked back towards the front, where everyone was waiting impatiently for her to tell them what had transgressed.

I sighed, then glanced to Sasuke with a smile. "Well, you sure told her."

He shrugged, as if to say 'So?' and turned to Naruto, who immediately engaged him in some strange conversation about squirrels. I turned back to Hinata and beamed at her. "So, Hinata! Are you and Naruto going out yet?"

She flushed as Naruto paused midsentence to stare over at us. "Uh...no!" she squeaked.

"Aw, why not?! You like him, he likes you, you're living together, you actually got him to eat vegetables...if that's not enough to go on, then Sasuke-kun and I are seriously screwed!"

"And what does that have to do with us?"

I ignored my boyfriend and focused in on Hinata, who still hadn't said anything. Naruto piped up with, "Hey, don't interrogate her!!"

"Ooh, 'interrogate'. Pretty big word, Dobe," Sasuke taunted him, but for once, the blonde didn't rise to the bait.

Finally, Hinata stammered, "N-n-naruto-kun hasn't a-a-asked me to be his g-g-girlfriend yet."

"HUH?!"

"Ah, so that's it!" I nodded wisely. "Well, maybe I should beat some sense into him..."

"Hinata-chan, will you marry me?!"

I shook my head at the blonde even as the dark-haired girl slumped over in a shocked faint. "One step at a time, Naruto...dating first, then marriage. Look, she fainted."

Naruto slid into her seat and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her back and forth, shouting, "Hinata-chan, why is your face all red?! Are you still breathing?!"

My eyebrow twitched as I said, "If she wasn't breathing, then her face would be blue, moron...oh, now it's turned a nice shade of purple."

"Doesn't that mean she's not breathing?! Blue and red make purple!" Naruto shouted in a panic.

"So you DID go to Kindergarten..." Sasuke mused aloud.

The girl must have started breathing again, for her face was now just red. Her eyes fluttered open, and stared up into Naruto's. It was like something out of those cheesy romance novels my mom reads as she said, "N-naruto-kun...did you mean it?"

He smiled at her. "Hai, I did. So, what's your answer?"

She flushed, then breathed out, "Hai."

"Wow. Did they just get engaged?" Sasuke whispered to me.

"I believe they did. Wow. Hinata's family is gonna be pissed," I whispered back.

The bus screeched to a halt and Minato stood with a whoop of joy. "Yes! Finally! Grandchildren!!"

"Dad! Drive the bus, moron!" Naruto yelled to his father, a flush darkening his cheeks.

But the older man stood his ground and said, "I'm expecting to have six by the time I'm forty. Three girls and three boys. Name one after me."

"Um, Minato-san?" Chouji tapped him on the arm. "I don't mean to interrupt, but there's a huge semi about to crash into us."

"Holy sh--!" Minato sat back down and began to drive again, narrowly avoiding the huge semi.

"Good call, Chouji!" Ino told the boy brightly, then scowled back at us.

"I'm not telling you, Ino!" I yelled to her.

She rolled her eyes at me and shouted, "Okay! Fine! Then, at least tell me how you and Sasuke came to be SHARING A BED!"

Shit.

**Whew, that took a while! Well, it's three AM here, so I'll say goodbye, and if you have any questions, I'll try to answer them.**


	21. Warning: Sakura may punch you

**Songs I listened to while writing this: That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings (Katie's voice is so unique!), Shut Up and Let Me Go by The Ting Tings, Calibria 2007 by Enur feat. Natasha (or however you spell her name), Whine Up by Kat DeLuna feat. Elephant Man, This Kiss by Faith Hill, Heartbreaker by Pink. Weird combo, ne?**

**Well, my Internet isn't shut off yet. That may change soon, but what the heck, right? Trying to type this fast so I can put it up before it does, but I'm sorry if it doesn't get up in time. Scratch all that. My mom made some kind of deal with the phone company. They're gonna keep it on until she can pay it on Monday. Probably bcuz she's preggo with twins and ready to pop lol. In the words of that cashier from Juno, "Her eggo is preggo."**

**Anyways, to kataang2: I'll try to check it out, but I might not have a chance right now. I will, though! ...it just might be a while.**

**Trying to get this up soon, guys. Hang with me if I spell something wrong or put the wrong word, okay?**

**Liz Kilbourn--lol Yes, I kind of formed Sakura from what I would be like if I let my spontanuity(it's actually a word, looked it up!) out in public. My family and close friends think I'm insane, but everyone at school and stuff think I'm really shy and quiet. I just prefer not to talk; does that make me shy? Well, my family knows that I'm not. And my friend Marion thinks I'm weird, but loves me anyway. My other friend Chenoa doesn't think I'm weird at all. This is because she herself is insane. On the last day of school, she yelled out, "FAGGOT!" in the lunchroom and didn't get in trouble...I just shook my head at her and said, "Only YOU would do something like that, Chenoa."**

**Anywho...SakuraXSasuke121. Aw, thanks. I take your unnecessary praise and take a bow. -bows-**

**And please don't shove a cookie of death up my ass...that would hurt. A bunch of you just laughed, ne?**

**Just4Laughs17...Yes, I did get the idea for that Sakura and Sasuke moment where she said, and I quote: "Yeah right. I think you're just scared that no one will like you. So you keep up the cool persona so that people will think you're mysterious, and smart, and sexy--" I DID get the idea from 27 Dresses, though I have not yet seen the movie itself--my mom hasn't paid Netflix yet, so I have to wait!! Saw Juno, though, love that movie soooooooo much! I'm getting off subject. -ahem-**

**Naruto: I have a question.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: What is it, Naruto?**

**Naruto: What if the Hokey Pokey IS what it's all about?**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: O.O Whoa...that is so DEEP...**

**Sasuke: You two are so stupid that I find it amusing.**

**Sakura: O.O Whoa...that is so DEEP, Naruto...**

**Sasuke: Hn.**

**Naruto: Yup, I'm smart. And Kisa Kisa Yum Yum doesn't own me, Dattebayo!**

_"Good call, Chouji!" Ino told the boy brightly, then scowled back at us._

_"I'm not telling you, Ino!" I yelled to her._

_She rolled her eyes at me and shouted, "Okay! Fine! Then, at least tell me how you and Sasuke came to be SHARING A BED!"_

_Shit._

All eyes on the bus locked onto me like heat-seeking missiles, and a fiery blush filled my face until I was sure it resembled a tomato's long lost cousin. I snuck a peek at Sasuke; he looked nonchalant.

"Uh...What are you talking about, Ino?!" I yelled to her with a nervous laugh. "I'm not sharing a bed with Sasuke-kun! What a ridiculous thing to say, really! Ahhahahahahahaha!"

Tenten grabbed the blonde before she could say another word and clamped a hand over her mouth. "Ino, you pig! Don't make up lies about other people! Why would Sakura share a bed with Sasuke?! She's not a slut! She's not some common whore that would sleep with him when she just met him days ago! She's not a skank--"

"That's quite enough, Tenten-chan!" My left eye twitched.

"Oh, right. Gomen nasai. Anyways, Ino, shut up, you pig!!"

"Ino-Pig, that sounds like a good name for her!" I glared at the blonde. 'I'll kill you!' I mouthed to her when everyone else had turned away.

She rolled her eyes and glared up at Tenten. The brunette let her go, and Ino gave a 'humph!' and turned to Shikamaru, who she immediately began badgering.

I sighed in relief and made a mental note to send Tenten a huge box of chocolates when I next got the chance. Then I glanced over at Sasuke.

"Why are you GLARING at me?!" I asked in alarm when I saw that he was, indeed, GLARING at me.

"You told her?!" he hissed so that no one else could hear. "How could you tell her?!"

"Erm, it just slipped out accidentally...no biggie!" I told him brightly, trying to lower my voice. No one seemed to have heard. The only people close enough were Hinata and Naruto, and they were too busy making goo-goo eyes at each other to note our conversation. "Besides, Tenten-chan covered it up. No biggie!" I repeated.

He didn't reply, just crossed his arms over his chest and glared out the window. Now, I'm one of those people that can't take the silent treatment. So, after about two minutes of me just twiddling my thumbs, I slipped across the aisle and into his seat. He didn't even move, but his glare became so hard that I'm surprised the glass didn't crack. "Sasuke-kun?" I said tentatively. He didn't answer. "Sasuke-kun?" I placed a hand on his arm and said his name again.

I was getting a little tired of his silence. Bristling at his indifference, I smacked him on the head; not hard, just enough to get his attention, ya know, like a love tap.

It worked. He turned to face me with that glare. "What do you want?!"

"Stop ignoring me, you big ol' poo-poo head!" I shouted angrily.

Once again, we had the attention of the entire bus. The vehicle swerved slightly, so that I knew that Minato was trying to stare at us, too. Thankfully, he kept his eyes on the road and his ears to us.

Sasuke's expression was incredulous as he asked, "Did you just call me a 'big ol' poo-poo head'?!"

"Hai, I did! What're you gonna do about it, Mr. Stick-Up-The-Ass?!" I shouted.

Then he did something that will confuse and baffle me for years to come. Something that made me stare at him like he'd gone mad.

He laughed.

Yes, I said laughed.

I took the moment to appreciate the sight. His normally stoic façade had crumbled and he was a handsome, happy-looking boy, and I admit it. I stared. He was handsome when he was angry and all, but when he laughed, he was……gorgeous. I fell in love a little more.

I looked around the bus, and everyone else had the same confuzzled look I'm sure that I had on my face. Then I glanced back at my boyfriend; he was still laughing. Now, I'd never seen him laugh like this. It wasn't a chuckle ha ha kind of laugh, or that laugh you laugh when you're nervous or don't get the joke. It was the laugh you laugh when you find something so funny that if you didn't let it out in laughter, you would explode. And that's how he was laughing.

"Uh, Sasuke-kun…..why are you--? What's so--? Huh?" Every time I tried to ask him, when he'd take in a gulp of air, he'd begin laughing again.

Finally, after ten minutes of full-bodied laughter, he quieted down. When his laughter turned into giggles and into hiccups, I said, "Wow. That was so out of character for you…."

He straightened in the seat and shook his head, still smiling, except now it was directed at me. "You make me laugh; 'big ol' poo-poo head'…."

"Okkkkkaaaaaaayyyy…….." I eyed him warily. Maybe he was in the middle of some psychotic breakdown…. "Alright….so, are you still mad at me?"

His answering smile took my breath away--literally. "I can't stay mad at you, no matter how hard I try. You must be a witch or something."

"Yup, that's me. The wicked witch…." But I couldn't help but smile myself. What can I say? He's so cute! I snuggled up to his side and grinned up at him. "Forgiven?"

"Forgiven." He kissed me on the top of the head and slid his arm around me, pulling me harder against his side.

"Awwwww!" Everyone on the bus said this in unison, even Ino-Pig. Yes, I will call her that now.

Naruto, who was sitting in Hinata's seat with her, followed suit and hugged her to him. She flushed prettily, but I noticed how she snuggled closer to him with a shy smile. My chest swelled with pride. My shy little girl was growing up. Sniff.

The rest of the bus ride was spent like that. Me, sitting beside Sasuke, holding his hand. Occasionally, he'd press another kiss to my hair, and I would smile and my fingers would squeeze his. In fact, I wasn't even aware of the time passing until the bus lurched to a sudden stop. Sasuke and I each went flying forwards and hit the seat back in front of us, as did everyone else on the bus. I heard Shikamaru curse; he must have been asleep.

Minato stood and beamed back at us. "We're here!" he announced.

"Already?!" I disentangled myself from Sasuke and stood with difficulty, wincing as my foot, which had been asleep, tingled painfully. (A/N: I hate that….)

Sasuke glanced outside the tinted windows. "Yeah. This is the Uchiha hotel."

"Oh, good! I wanna see it!" I raced to the front of the bus; even I'm not sure how I got up there so fast. I waited for Minato to open the doors, then clambered down the steps.

And halted in my tracks.

"Holy shit balls."

It. Was. Huge.

I mean, the building was, like, sixteen floors. No lie. There was the Uchiha family lollipop--er, I mean, family symbol--in the front of the building above the doors, with their name scrawled across the top. It was painted an elegant beige-gold color that looked pretty, especially with the white sandy beach right beside it.

I felt Sasuke behind me, and he smirked when I turned to him with my jaw open. "Nice, isn't it? Although it's not as big as the one we have in Suna--"

"'Not as big'?! Are you insane?! It's ginormous!"

"That's not even a word."

Hearing Naruto's impatient sigh behind us, I walked forward, pulling Sasuke with me by the hand. "We gotta get our stuff! And then we're gonna go to our rooms! And then we're gonna go to the beach!" Naruto shouted gleefully as he dragged poor Hinata behind him.

"Naruto, it's almost six o'clock. It gets dark fast; we'd be falling around drunkenly in the dark," Sasuke, my ever-so-wonderful boyfriend, pointed out to the blonde.

Naruto pouted, then brightened. "I know! We could have a party! In the hotel!"

"Ooh, what kind of party?! I love parties!" I shouted, then lowered my voice when my ever-so-wonderful boyfriend glared at me. "Like, what kind of party?"

"Well….a we're-at-the-beach party!" Naruto beamed at his own genius. "We'll just, you know, party!"

Ino got off the bus in time to hear him and grinned. "Yeah, we'll have a party! They got sake here, right?"

"We're too young to drink, Ino-Pig," I told her.

She gaped at me. "D-did you just call me a pig?!"

"Well, it suits you, does it not?"

She just smirked and said, "Alright….Billboard Brow."

My left eye twitched as the others laughed. "Bill….board….Brow…?" I repeated, the twitch getting worse.

Sasuke grabbed my arm and steered me to where Naruto and Minato were unloading the luggage. "Alright, don't kill anyone, especially not in front of my family's hotel," he murmured in my ear.

I rolled my eyes and said, "I wasn't going to kill her, Sasuke-kun! They're just silly little names that best friends have for each other! It's just a way to show you care; the way I keep calling you cumquat."

"….did you just call me a cumquat AGAIN?!"

We got our luggage and trudged up towards the front doors of the hotel; I noticed with an "Awww!" that Naruto wouldn't let Hinata carry her own luggage. He carried it for her. Which left Minato to carry his son's crap. Ya know, that guy needs to get LAID. Seriously. (A/N: Just kidding, people. If Minato even TRIED to sleep with another woman besides Kushina, I'd kill him. Personally.)

We finally got inside, and I gazed around me in amazement. It really was nice inside--beautiful, really. And blessedly empty. Like, as in devoid of people. Awesome.

Sasuke strode confidently to the front desk, and I went with him. The receptionist was gorgeous, with long black hair and dark eyes. She wore her make-up perfectly. Her uniform was tight in all the right places. I deemed her as a whore when she batted her lashes at my Sasuke-kun and said, "Uchiha-sama! What a delightful surprise!"

"How is it a surprise? He called yesterday and said he was coming!" I butted in, annoyed at the way she was shamelessly flirting with my Sasuke-kun.

Her name tag said her name was Chiaka. Well, Chiaka (what kind of name is that, seriously?!) spared me a contemptuous glance, then smiled coyly at my Sasuke-kun. "The hotel is all yours, Uchiha-sama. Please, if there's anything you need," At that point, she placed her freshly-manicured hand on his arm, and I bristled, "anything you need, I'd be delighted to assist you."

I grabbed the key she extended to him and said, "Arigato, Chiaka-san. We'll definitely do that. Let's go, Sasuke-kun!" I grabbed my boyfriend by the arm and propelled him to the left.

"Our rooms are this way."

"I knew that!" I swiftly changed directions, going to our right. I could almost feel Chiaka's jealous fury following us.

I hadn't even noticed it when a dozen or so porters arrived to take our luggage; we trailed after them, me wondering what the rooms would like, Sasuke thinking about….perverted things, probably. Room connecting to his my ass.

I heard Naruto gabbing happily to Hinata behind us, and the occasional soft-spoken word from her that the blonde seemed to take pleasure in hearing. I mentally patted myself on the back for my matchmaking skills. Next, Temari and Shikamaru. And maybe Kiba and Ino.

Hm, or Cara and Tomisho. I must find out about their relationship, or if they like each other. And it dawned on me that, besides Cara having amazing taste in clothes, and Tomisho being an ass, even if not a complete one, I didn't know them at all. I resolved to correct this before the weekend was over.

We split up into four different groups. In my group: me, Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata. Bootiful. Our group (or Team Awesome Alpha Wolf Squadron, as I called us secretly in my head) got into an insanely huge elevator with three porters and went up so many floors that I got dizzy and couldn't count. (Yeah, I got dizzy in an elevator! Don't ask how!)

It finally stopped, and we got out. The hallway was pretty, with lots of doors leading out of it. We stopped at one such door and dropped off Sasuke and his luggage; I waved bye-bye to him, then continued on. The next door, one of the porters put my luggage down, so I figured it must be my room. Said porter pulled out a key, and the others moved on. "Ja nae, Hinata-chan, Naruto!" I called to my friends.

Then the porter unlocked the door and ushered me in. It was so…..so…..awesome. "Whoa…" I breathed out as I studied the room. The walls were painted in a pretty green that looked so cool. There was a tall dresser, a dressing table, two doors, a walk-in closet, and a huge bed. It must have been, like, a King-size or something. The furnishings were down in crème and the same green as the walls, and I beamed around me. My room was so pretty!

One of the doors opened, and Sasuke walked into the room. "Like it?" he asked, smirking at my obvious awe of the brilliance surrounding me.

"Are you for cereal?! Of course! I love it!" I exclaimed, then grinned sneakily. "So, your room really does lead into mine, does it?"

"The great Uchiha Sasuke does not lie," was his reply.

I giggled. "Right. Okay. So, what are we supposed to do now?"

I heard a door shut quietly; the porter must have settled my luggage by the dresser or something, then left. So it was just Sasuke and I, staring at each other. I scratched the back of my neck nervously. "Uh…."

"You know…" He moved closer. "How long has it been since I've kissed you?"

I frowned in concentration as I tried to remember. "Uh…well, we had an uber cool make-out session this morning….then you kissed me on the forehead….so, this morning, I guess, why?"

"Hn, too long." He wrapped his arms around me and pressed his lips against mine. I melted. I mean, who wouldn't? When THE Uchiha Sasuke kisses you, there's nothing else to do except turn into a pile of mush.

After a good one-minute kiss, we pulled apart and I smiled up at him. He was tall, damnit all… "Shouldn't we be unpacking or something?" I asked.

"Probably…." He didn't let go of me. I was secretly pleased.

"No, really, Sasuke-kun, we should unpack and freshen up or something; knowing Naruto, he'll have trashed everything with his big 'party'," I told him dryly.

He sighed and finally released me. "Okay, you're right….I'll be back in here in twenty minutes. Be ready." With that, he stalked back to the door that connected his room to mine, went through it, and slammed it behind him.

I shook my head at his antics, and set about unpacking. It only took me about five minutes; glancing at my watch, I figured I'd have time for a quick shower. So I hopped into the awesomely huge shower and picked my way through the astonishing array of bath products; I could see that I was going to have to take the time to have a leisurely bubble bath while I was here.

After drying off with the softest towel I've ever used, I found a blow dryer underneath the sink; wow, this hotel had everything! I used it, to amazing effects, I might add, then, wrapping myself in the towel, exited the bathroom.

"Gyaaah--! Kami, Sasuke-kun, you scared me!" I glared at him. He was sitting on my bed nonchalantly, just staring at me; just how long had he been waiting?! "How long have you been waiting?!" I asked aloud.

He shrugged. "About five minutes. Are you gonna get dressed, or are you going out in that?" His eyes perused my towel-clad form with amusement. "Very attractive."

"Aw, blow it out your ass!" I went over to the closet and surveyed my clothing; studying the outfits for a moment, I chose a long-sleeved dark green shirt and a silky black skirt with long tendrils that swayed around my legs. Oh yeah. I would so totally rock. I pulled a black bra and matching panties out of the dresser and glared at Sasuke. He was still sitting there. "Uh, do ya mind? I gotta get dressed!"

"No, I don't mind. Go ahead."

I wanted to throw something at him; I settled for giving him a haughty glare. "Out. Now. I'll be ready in five!"

He stood from my bed with a shrug and slouched over to the door. "Alright, alright. Just hurry."

When he'd left, I sighed and swiftly put on my outfit. I was right. I totally rocked. I kept my hair down and free around my shoulders and pulled on a pair of black flats. Staring at myself in the mirror above the dressing table, I thought about putting make-up on, then decided against it. If we did end up going outside, I didn't want to get all sweaty and have it run down my face. Urgh, gruesome.

I slipped the key the porter had left into my bra (the only place I had to store things in) and left the room, locking it behind me. Sasuke was waiting, somewhat impatiently, outside the door. I hadn't noticed before that he'd changed into a pair of black slacks and a long-sleeved black shirt. Kami, he looked so handsome. "All ready to go?" I asked cheerfully. He mumbled something, and steered me towards the elevator.

We rode down, and I even found myself humming some dreadful song coming from the walls; strange, alien elevators….strange…. Sasuke definitely needed to get someone to change the music in there. It almost put me to sleep.

The bell dinged, and the doors opened. And I was greeted by a sight I did NOT want to see.

Karin, the red-headed bitch from Hell. With two ugly, evil henchmen. Wearing slutty clothes. With a wide, evil smile on her face. "Sasuke-kun! Aren't you glad to see us?!"

Warning: Sakura may punch you. Be prepared.

**Ouch. My chest hurts…..well, it is 4:30 AM here….yeah, I need to go to bed….**

**Hey, did anyone read Naruto Shippuden, Manga Chapter 421? I was ready to kill Karin right then and there--but, alas, she's on paper. Or, in this case, on my computer screen. -sighs- Well, enjoy the chapter.**

**Oh, and I've been in a real music rut. I love music, really, I do, but I want MORE. MORE AND MORE MUSIC, MUWAHAHAHAHA! -coughs- Sorry. So, if you have a favorite song, please, share it. I might not have heard it before. Or, if you think that there's a song and/or artist that I would like, holler it to me. And I will…..listen to it. Nyah. Ciao!**


	22. A Blast From My Past

**Songs I listened to while writing this: The Only One by Evanescence, I'm Yours by Jason Mraz, Crazy Loop by Crazy Loop, Disturbia by Rihanna, The Way We Talk by The Maine, Comatose by Skillet, and Rebirthing by Skillet, What I've Done by Linkin Park, and Heartbreaker by Pink. I've seriously become addicted to Heartbreaker. It never gets old. I listened to it all through my birthday. And your suggestions were awesome. I became addicted to a few of these. -sighs- I love music.**

**Guess what, readers? I found Microsoft Works on my comp! So I don't have to use Notepad, the epitome of crappiness! How totally awesomely tubular is that?!**

**Yes, I saw the bite marks on Karin's arm. Why does he have to bite her?! Why couldn't he bite Sakura?! ….well, she might not like to be bit on her arm. Maybe on her neck or….-giggles at perverted thoughts- God, I'm such a pervert.**

**And I got the Bleach and Naruto mangas confused….it's Naruto Chapter 412, and Bleach chapter 321.…gomen.**

**But seriously, I hate her. Like, with a fiery passion that sears my soul! Ooh, that sounds poetic….-coughs- Anyways. So, if there's more Karin bashing than usual in here, chalk it up to her being such a Bitchy McBitchface, kay? And ya know, , the site I go on to read manga, published the new Naruto and Bleach chapter on my birthday, so I was all like, "Yay!" But then I saw what happened in them, and it wasn't very exciting….well, it was, but I wanted some ichime action in Bleach (sorry to all IchiRuki fans out there…) Heh, I tried to type in ichime, and my auto word correct changed it to Chichimec. Strange, ne?**

**Are you serious, Inugome14?! Someone tried to set you on fire?! That's ludicrous! (I can type that word now that I have spell-check, cha!) They're glad they're already in jail, or I'd go some Jackie Chan on their asses. Or maybe Jet Lee….or Rock Lee…lol**

**Does it bother anyone that Sakura curses a lot in this story? I myself have a cursing problem. That's why I try to say other things; like, the other day, my sister did something to peeve me off, and I shouted, "Fudgesicles in orange dandelion sauce!" It helps.**

**Strange Man in Trench Coat: -slyly walks up- Yo. Ya want some of the good stuff?**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: That depends….do you have some?**

**Strange Man in Trench Coat: Oh, I have some, all right. -unties coat and whips it open-**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: Whoa! Is that the new stuff? My friends say it's really powerful. The best they'd ever had.**

**Strange Man in Trench Coat: Oh yeah, it's the best on the market, too. So, for this little baggie….fifty bucks.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: FIFTY?! ….Alright. -hands over 50 dollar bill-**

**Strange Man in Trench Coat: You made a wise choice. -walks away- I hope we can do business again.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: -opens bag- Yes! Top-of-the-line, Grade-A Lemonheads! Woohoo!**

**Naruto: Um, Kisa Kisa Yum Yum doesn't own me. …Hey, can I have some, Kisa? Please?**

The bell dinged, and the doors opened. And I was greeted by a sight I did NOT want to see.

Karin, the red-headed bitch from Hell. With two ugly, evil henchmen. Wearing slutty clothes. With a wide, evil smile on her face. "Sasuke-kun! Aren't you glad to see us?!"

Warning: Sakura may punch you. Be prepared

Now, the sight of Karin had me seeing red. But the sight of the two on either side of her made my jaw drop in shock. "Sugo?! Shii?!" (A/N: Refer to chapter 8 if you don't remember. I know, I know, I'm adding more OCs. They're just fun.) So much for ugly evil henchmen.

Sugo grinned; he was skinny, with shaggy light brown hair and hazel eyes. He was also quite tall, which used to be a source of discomfort for him when we were younger, but now was one of his best features. "Yo, Sakura! 'Sup?" Did I forget to mention that he talks strangely?

Shii, however, was near tears. Shii was so adorable; he was short, with bright red hair and blue eyes kind of like Naruto's. I used to call him a leprechaun, because he looks Irish. If only he had green eyes….sigh. "Saku-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!" he wailed out, his lower lip trembling. "I've missed you so much!!"

"It's only been a week since I last saw you guys," I reminded him with a roll of my eyes. Shii had a tendency to be over-dramatic. "Never mind that, what are you guys doing here?!"

Sugo shrugged. "I'm not quite sure. Shii here wanted to drive to Konoha to see you--but when we did, no one was at your address. We drove around town asking about you, until we ran into Karin-san here, and she said that you were here at the Uchiha Hotel. You wouldn't believe all the lying we had to do just to go up and see you--I practically had to bribe that receptionist--"

"The point is, we missed you, Saku-chan!" Shii interrupted. "Won't you come back home with us?!"

Holding my hands before myself just in case he launched himself at me, I said, "Look, Sugo-kun, Shii-kun, I really appreciate you coming to see me--"

"Rejection."

"Sasuke-kun, don't be rude!" I glared at him, then smiled at my two old friends. "But I live in Konoha now. And I like it there. In fact…" I debated whether I should tell them about Sasuke and I. "Umm…."

"And who are you, anyway?!" Shii pouted up at Sasuke--yes, he's really that short. Comically so. "And what do you have to do with my Saku-chan?!"

A muscle in Sasuke's right temple twitched as he stared down at the shorter boy. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke, the owner of this hotel," he finally said. "And I happen to be the boyfriend of 'your Saku-chan'--"

"WHAT?!" Karin shrieked in shock, her jaw dropping to the floor. Sugo and Shii followed suit. I sighed.

"Y-you're dating Saku-chan?!" Shii yelled at Sasuke, his expression disbelieving. " How dare you defile my Saku-chan!"

"D-defile…?" Sasuke repeated, his twitch getting worse. "Why you little--"

"Now now, Sasuke-kun, they're my friends! Be nice!" I held him in place with a hand on his arm, knowing he was thinking of jumping Shii. "Hey, can they stay here?"

"HUH?!" Sasuke stared down at me in shock. "Why would you want them to stay here?!"

"Because they're my friends, duh!" I rolled my eyes at his jealousy. To tell the truth, it actually made me feel food. For once, _he _was jealous, not _me_. "Please please please, oh please, Sasuke-kun?!" I gave him the adorable puppy-dog-chibi face.

"What--But you--Why--ALRIGHT!" he finally gave in with a shout after stammering for a good thirty seconds. "But if that little midget says one more negative thing to me, I'll stuff him into a suitcase!"

"You will do no such thing!" I scolded him with a scowl. "Now, play nicely, or I'll put you in the corner!"

"I--wait, what?" He blinked in confusion.

I shrugged. "I dunno, I've just always wanted to say that. Anyways, Sugo-kun and Shii-kun are my friends, and you _will _treat them nicely. Is that _understood_?"

He paled slightly at my threatening tone and said, "Understood, ma'am!"

"Good boy!" I patted him on the head, even though I had to stand on my toes to reach. Turning back to the three in front of us, I switched my attention to the red-headed bitch from Hell. "Thank you for escorting my friends here, but your services are no longer needed. Ja nae."

She actually had the audacity to give me a sly smile and, with a hand on her emphasized hip, said, "Actually, I was on my way here anyways. You see, Gaara is my partner for this dumb project, and where he goes, I go. And he's here. So…."

"Aw, shit."

Inwardly, I seconded Sasuke's opinion of the situation. Outwardly, however, I tried to blow it over. "Gaara? He's not here; whatever gave you the idea that he was here?"

As I said this, the silent redhead himself happened to walk up to us with Naruto. The latter blinked at us. "What's that bitch doing here? And who are those two?!" Then he gasped aloud and pointed dramatically at Sasuke, yelling, "Sasuke-teme, you hired two male strippers and Karin?! Ew, I knew you were secretly gay!"

"Why do you have to be so stupid, Dobe?!" Sasuke yelled back, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Is that a rhetorical question?" Gaara asked in amusement.

Karin grinned at me triumphantly. "So, he's not here, is he?"

"Uh…" As a cover-up, I gasped dramatically and gave Gaara a hug. "Oh gosh, Gaara, when did you get here?! It's so good to see you!!"

He looked at me like I was insane. I was starting to think he was right. "Right….I'm leaving now," he said, then darted away quickly.

I pouted. "Aw, I scared him off…."

"Wasn't hard, huh?" Karin said cheerfully, then smirked when I glared at her. "Anyways, I'll just go up to my room and…freshen up a bit." With one last coy smile at MY Sasuke-kun, she sashayed into the elevator and pressed the button to go up.

When the doors closed, I shrieked, "Why, Kami, why?!"

Naruto snorted. "Yeah, went to freshen up. More like she went to shave her--"

"Naruto, if you finish that sentence, I will be scarred for life." Sasuke told the blonde, eye twitching.

"I was just going to say legs…"

"Good, she needs it! Talk about King Kong…" I murmured to myself, then smiled at Shii and Sugo, who looked very confused. "So guys, just go up to the front desk and ask for two rooms."

Sugo shrugged, but Shii cried out, "Oh, arigato, Saku-chan, arigato! You're so generous!"

Sasuke's eye twitched again as he said, "It's…my…hotel…."

Ignoring him, Shii skipped away happily, after giving me a big hug. Sugo sighed, sent Sasuke and I a sympathetic look, and followed after the chipper redhead. I stretched lazily and let out my breath in a big old whoosh. "Geez, Shii-kun just zaps my energy!" I turned to Sasuke with a smile, but he was GLARING at me--again.

"What?" I asked blankly.

"What what? What do you mean what? I don't want them here!" he yelled at me.

I clucked sympathetically and patted him on the arm. "There, there, it's alright to be jealous, Sasuke-kun. Everyone gets jealous once in a while."

His jaw dropped. "Wha--I'm not jealous! That's ludicrous! That's ridiculous! That's crazy! That's--that's--CRAZY!"

"Alright, whatever you say, Sasuke-kun." Winking at Naruto, I muttered, "Denial," beneath my breath.

Naruto laughed loudly at the expression of murderous rage on Sasuke's face and said, "Dude, you really need to calm down, Teme! Now come on, Gaara and I came to get you two so that we can start the party!"

"Party?" Sasuke's rage directed to Naruto. "What party?! You better not wreck the hotel, or I'll shove my foot up your--"

"Sasuke-kun, don't be so loud!" I interrupted his lament with a scowl and my hand tightening on his arm in warning. "Now, a party doesn't sound so bad. Actually, it sounds kinda fun!"

"Fun?!" He was just determined to be mad. Hn, a jealous thing, apparently. "Sakura-chan, there's--"

"Calm down, Sasuke-kun!" I yelled, and he immediately shut up. With a smile, I lowered my voice. "Now, we are going to this party. We will have fun. And you will not be mean to anyone. At all. Unless it's Karin. Got it?!"

He muttered, "Yes, ma'am." But his scowl stayed in place.

To get rid of it, I leaned up and kissed him full on the mouth. Needless to say, when I finally pulled away, the scowl had disappeared. "Ew!" Naruto commented from the sidelines. I wanted to punch him really badly.

"Naruto-kun! What's taking you so long?!" Hinata ran up to us in a pretty white dress with no sleeves, a fitted (but not too fitted….all the guys would faint) bodice, and a fitted skirt that ended just above her knees. There was a picture of a sunflower right on the front, and I couldn't resisted an "Awww!" at how cute she looked. **(A/N: That was in no way sexual. Dattebayo. I just think Hinata is beautiful and deserves more screen time, especially in Shippuden, where ya only see her, like, that one time or whatever, and though I'm in a sasusaku craze right now, Hinata is my fav female character. Once again, I say Dattebayo. I'll stop now.)**

Naruto scratched the back of his head anxiously as he said, "Well, Gaara and I got here and the bitch Karin was here along with some weird guys that I thought were male strippers Teme had hired but turned out to be friends of Sakura-chan's and then Karin and Sakura-chan were insulting each other and Karin left to shave her legs or something and Sasuke's jealous and now they're making out and it was kinda weird but I watched because I had nothing else better to do, so--"

"Naruto!" I kicked him in the shin, and he yelped. "Don't go into so much detail!"

Sasuke smirked and said, "Dobe…"

Naruto immediately straightened and glared at him, pointing dramatically and yelling, "Teme!! I will drink more sake than you, Dattebayo!"

"Naruto-kun, we're not drinking sake!" Hinata frowned at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "The strongest thing you're drinking tonight is apple juice."

The blonde sighed, then pointed to Sasuke again and yelled, "Teme!! I will drink more apple juice than you, Dattebayo!"

"I don't even drink apple juice, Dobe."

"I'll take you on, Naruto!" I shouted. "Apple juice is my middle name!"

"Really?!"

"No."

Hinata giggled and grabbed Naruto by the arm. "Come on, Naruto-kun! Let's go!"

I sighed after them as they ran off and slid my arm around Sasuke's waist, saying, "Look, honey. Our little one is growing up!"

"Are you talking about Naruto or Hinata?" he asked in amusement.

"Both! I am the epitome of awesomeness!" I yelled, spinning away from him and striking a pose. "Bow down!"

Sasuke smirked and shook his head. "Come on. I've gotta make sure the Dobe isn't trashing my hotel."

I followed him as he strode away, me skipping merrily, forgetting my anger at the redheaded bitch from Hell. I've got a one-track mind sometimes. Right now, I was going to just have fun drinking Naruto under the table.

**I will stop it there, just because I can't think of what I wanna do next, and because I've got homework.**

**That's right. School has begun anew. Bad, bad school. I hate it. I failed last year (probably due to daydreaming of anime all day long), so I'm in class with the little tenth graders. It sucks.**

**So I probably won't be able to update too often. Hopefully once a week (or once every two weeks…)**

**Now I pimp my stories out to you. I just started another multi-chaptered sasusaku story (well, it was about a week ago…) It's cute. Read. Or….NO MORE MUFFINS! Yeah, I'm cruel…**

**The chapter is short, but just keep holding on, kay?**


	23. Sasuke dated Karin!

**Songs I listened to while writing this: What You Got by Colby O'Donis feat. Akon, Everything Burns by Ben Moody feat. Anastacia, The Way We Talk by The Maine, Because I Love You by September, Taboo by September, In My Neighbourhood by September, I'm Only Me When I'm With You by Taylor Swift, Should've Said No by Taylor Swift, I'd Lie by Taylor Swift, Konichiwa Bitches by Robyn, Be Mine by Robyn, Ugly Girl by Fiona Apple, and Addict by Fiona Apple. Oh, and That's Where It Is by whatsherface…and Man With The Hex by The Atomic Fireballs.**

**So, things I forgot to say last chapter: If anyone wants me to read their stories, then tell me, and I will. I love to read fanfics almost as much as I like to write them. But only stories that are either; sasusaku, naruhina, shikatema, nejiten, and kibaino or inosai. I'm picky. ;;**

**So, I'm alive. Why is this cause for celebration? Because I live in Florida, US, and was just hit by Tropical Storm Fay. Went right over my head. And I'm alive. Well, my front yard is a lake, and my ceiling caved in a little, but I've been through worse; I got today (Friday) off of school, too! I decided to celebrate by beginning this chapter. So thank your gods! -laughs manically- Of course, there are about four more headed my way, but…**

**Ahem. So. I think that's all…**

**Naruto: No Mexicans were harmed in the making of this chapter.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: Of course not!**

**Naruto: -whispers- I'm lying! She's killed about six of them so far, and we haven't even started yet!**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: Don't lie to them, you jerk! I'll kill you!**

**Naruto: -screams- You see?! She's started on the Asians! Save the foreigners!**

**Sasuke: -slouches up, looking cool while Kisa and Naruto run around- Kisa Kisa Yum Yum does not own Naruto. …hey Kisa, I don't think you should be holding that chainsaw so close to Naruto's--**

**Naruto: -screams-**

**Sasuke: Hinata, you didn't want children, did you?**

_Sasuke smirked and shook his head. "Come on. I've gotta make sure the Dobe isn't trashing my hotel."_

_I followed him as he strode away, me skipping merrily, forgetting my anger at the redheaded bitch from Hell. I've got a one-track mind sometimes. Right now, I was going to just have fun drinking Naruto under the table._

We stepped into the lobby and froze. Sasuke's eye twitched as I muttered, "It is official. We have entered the Twilight Zone."

"Hey Teme, Sakura-chan, over here!" Naruto called out to us as he pushed Kiba over and onto the floor. "We're gonna set up in the ballroom!"

"Ballroom?" My ears perked up at the word. "Ballroom means big space. Big space means music. Music means dancing!"

"How did you come up with that?" Sasuke asked sarcastically, but I waved away his negativity. I really wanted to dance again.

Yes, I mentioned earlier in the week how much I love to dance….or, loved to dance. I haven't really danced in…forever. Well, three years. That seems like forever to me. "It is decided! I shall dance once again!" I yelled, striking a pose, my arm raised with my index finger pointed towards the ceiling. "Muwahahaha!" I laughed evilly.

"Remind me why I'm dating you again," Sasuke muttered darkly.

I gasped dramatically. "Sasuke-kun, how can you even say such a thing?! Because I'm adorable and everyone loves me, that's why!"

"Oh Saku-chan, you're so cute!" Shii cried out, wrapping his arms around my leg and rubbing against me like a cat. "I missed your cuteness!"

"Aw, see, Shii-kun understands me!" I poked Sasuke in the side. "Shii-kun, get off of me before I kill you."

Sugo sighed as the small redhead released my leg, pouting. "Shii, you've really gotta stop messing with Sakura. She has a boyfriend now," he said, nodding respectfully at Sasuke.

I blinked in surprise. "Wow. Arigato, Sugo-kun. That's very sweet."

"I try," he replied evenly with a shrug. "Now come on, Shii. Let's go steal something."

Shii brightened automatically at the word 'steal'. "Ooh, okay!"

"Wait, what--" Sasuke called after them as they ran off.

I placed a hand on his arm and said, "Forget it, Sasuke-kun. I told you, they like to steal stuff."

He stared down at me with wide eyes. "No, you never told me that!"

"Oh. Well….Sasuke-kun, Shii-kun and Sugo-kun like to steal stuff. But don't worry; they never run off with anything important." At his dubious look, I continued, "Look, they've had rough lives. I mean, they live in Musaroghe, which has a crime rate triple that of Konoha. It's a hard place to grow up. Especially for them. Stealing is what they do." I shrugged helplessly. I wanted him to know that my friends weren't bad people, even if they did bad stuff. It was all they knew.

To my surprise, he nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Alright. They seem pretty nice. And they really like you. So…I'll deal with it. But…if they steal anything valuable, I'll personally kick each of them in the ass."

I laughed. "Arigato, Sasuke-kun. You're such a great boyfriend!"

"Oh yeah?" He grinned devilishly. "How great of a boyfriend?" he teased.

"Oh, a terrific one…so strong, and handsome, and--OH MY GOSH, A CLAW MACHINE!"

In the blink of an eye, I was running across the lobby and skidded to a stop right before said machine. "Oh Sasuke-kun, these are so cute! What are they…" I peered into the machine, then let out a high-pitched squeal. "Oh, look, there's little Sasuke's! And stuffed tomatoes…ooh, and a weird red ball thingy with black commas on it! Strange, but oddly cute! Ooh, and your family lollipop--I mean, family symbol! Awwwwww!"

"What…the…hell…" Sasuke muttered as he came up beside me, his eye twitching again. "Itachi…" he growled menacingly.

(And somewhere in Konoha, Itachi sneezed, then began laughing manically. The pedestrians around him edged away, praying he was unarmed.)

"Oh Sasuke-kun, I want a little Sasuke!" I whined, tugging on his shirt like a little girl wanting candy. "Please Sasuke-kun, please oh please oh please?!"

"Hn…." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few quarters. **(A/N: I know they don't use quarters…just _pretend….._)**

"Yay, Sasuke-kun!" I squealed, clapping my hands excitedly as he fed two quarters into the machine. "Ooh, get that one there, Sasuke-kun, it looks loose!"

We went through twenty dollars worth of quarters. Yes, twenty dollars. It took Sasuke an hour. Yes, an hour. An hour with me yelling, "Oh Sasuke-kun, get that one, get that one! Look, Sasuke-kun, that one looks good! No Sasuke-kun, you got the stuffed Itachi! I want the stuffed Sasuke!" And he just muttered and cursed and called upon all sorts of damnation onto the stubborn machine.

But finally, after an hour and twenty dollars worth of quarters, he happened to catch the little Sasuke's stuffed hair and the claw rose with the doll, sliding over and dropping it into the hole. "Sasuke-kun, you did it, you did it!" I shouted, grabbing the little Sasuke and hugging the life-size version.

"Finally, dude!" Naruto sighed. He'd been watching the whole thing with amusement and impatience. "Come on, party time!"

"You're amazing, Sasuke-kun!" I told him vehemently, and hugged him again, tighter.

He received the praise with a grunt of affirmation. He's so cute when he's being humble.

"Oh, just a minute, I'm gonna put Sasuke Jr. in my room!" I told them. "I'll be back in five!" I told my boyfriend, then kissed him on the lips.

"Don't be late," he replied when it ended, his eyes slightly glazed. I just grinned and ran off.

As I reached the elevator and slowed down, I thought suddenly about my revelation. I mean the fact that I love Sasuke. I'd almost said it. Just yelled it out. Not caring who did or didn't hear.

My brain whirled as I thought of Sasuke's reaction if I'd really done that. Shock, definitely. But what if it made him…angry or something? What if he became distant with me? Or…my stomach sank as I considered the other option. What if he told me that he loved me, just because I told him that I loved him? I didn't want him to feel pressured into saying something he didn't mean. Of course, he could be sincere.

But it had been less than a week since we first met; we'd been dating for, what, two days, if that? That's not enough time to fall in love with someone.

'Well, we fell in love with _him_ after only knowing him for five days. Maybe the feeling's mutual,' Inner Sakura pointed out gently.

"Yeah, but…." I sighed. "I can't just put myself out like that. I…." I stared down at the plushie in my hands. I smiled and traced the scowl on it's face. "He doesn't usually scowl like that anymore. He smiles a lot…" I squeezed it to me in a hug.

The elevator dinged and the doors wooshed open. I walked inside and pressed for my floor. "Wait!" Hinata called out as she ran up to the elevator. I hurriedly pressed the Hold button and smiled at her.

She slid inside and fell to the floor, panting. "A-arigato, Sakura-chan! I need to get something from my room," she explained to me as the doors wooshed shut.

"No prob. Did you see Sasuke Jr.?" I asked, proudly displaying my prize.

She stood shakily as the elevator began to rise and smiled. "Hai. It's so cute."

"I know!" I hugged the plushie again. "Sasuke-kun is so cool!"

Her smile turned thoughtful and she cocked her head to the side, regarding me curiously. "You know, I never thought of Sasuke-san as the type of person to spend ten dollars at a claw machine just to get his girlfriend a plushie."

"It was twenty dollars. And Sasuke-kun doesn't look it, but he's really very kind." My eyes rose from the doll to meet her gaze.

Her pure white eyes were beautiful and shy, like their owner, but steady and strong. They drew me in as she said, so softly I almost couldn't hear her, "You really love Sasuke-san. I can tell."

"I-is it that obvious?" I murmured, alarmed at the thought that I was so transparent.

"No. But us Hyugas are good at reading people. And I can see the love in your eyes when you look at him, or when you talk about him. And I'm sure that, if someone looked closely enough, they would see the love in my eyes when I look at Naruto-kun." Her eyes softened at the thought of the blonde. "I love Naruto, and you love Sasuke. There's no question about that."

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. As we stepped out of it, I said, "Hinata-chan, I swear you can read my mind. I was just thinking about loving Sasuke right when you showed up. You're like….my guardian angel!"

She giggled. "I'm hardly an angel, Sakura-chan! I'm just trying to be a good friend. Good friends help each other out."

I pondered her statement as we walked to my room, and even when we'd reached it, I stood before it, my hand resting on the knob. Hinata stood silently beside me as I pondered. Finally, after two minutes, I said, "Hinata-chan….we're friends, right?"

She blinked in surprise. "Well, of course, Sakura-chan! I know we haven't known each other very long, but…you've helped me overcome my shyness, especially with Naruto-kun, and now we're even…engaged! Of course we're friends. I'd do anything for you."

I hesitated, then smiled. "You're right. Arigato, Hinata-chan. You're right. So, meet ya back at the elevator in a few?"

"Hai. It won't take me long." She smiled once again, then walked on down the hallway.

I pulled my key from my bra and unlocked the door, then stepped inside, closing it behind me. I walked over to the bed and set Sasuke Jr. right between the pillows. Standing back, I observed it with a small smile. Then my smile grew wider as I thought of the larger Sasuke waiting for me down in the lobby.

I tidied my hair and clothes in the mirror, then left again, locking the door behind me. I whistled a catchy tune from some movie as I skipped to the elevator. Hinata wasn't there yet, so I waited for her, leaning my butt against the wall but making sure that I didn't mess up my hair.

"You really think that it's gonna last?"

My head jerked up from studying my feet at the question to see Karin standing before me, wearing a black dress with red roses that was kinda pretty…if it didn't have slits on each side reaching up to her thigh. She'd piled her hair atop her head, and had on tons of make-up so thick I was surprised she could see.

I raised an eyebrow at her and said, "Pardon?"

She sighed. "Look, I know we've kinda gotten off on the wrong foot. But I thought that I should warn you about Sasuke-kun."

My right eyebrow joined the other. "Nani? What are you talking about?"

She glanced left and right, then leaned in closer to me and whispered, "Maybe no one's told you, but I dated Sasuke-kun for about two or three weeks last semester."

"You…dated Sasuke-kun?" I repeated in disbelief. He'd definitely not mentioned that little tidbit of information.

Karin nodded. "Oh yeah. And it was going great. He told me that I was unlike any other girl he'd dated, and that he cared deeply for me and wanted to be with me forever. But…" She drifted off and her eyelids fluttered. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Then he just dumped me, out of the blue. I was in shock; he was yelling and cursing and going on and on about some guy or something…." She shook her head. "I'm not even sure what happened. I just…don't want the same thing to happen to you."

I was rooted to the floor, staring at her in shock. "But…why…why are you telling me this? I thought you didn't like me?"

She smirked. "I don't. But I'm not a horrible person; I wouldn't do anything to hurt you or anything. Just…think about it, alright?" She glanced at the expensive-looking silver watch on her wrist and cursed. "Jeez, it's late. See you at the party thing."

I watched as she walked into the elevator when the doors opened, then it shut behind her. I was too in shock to move.

"Sakura-chan, you're so fast--Sakura-chan?" Hinata, who'd come running up to me, slowed to a stop when she saw my expression. "You okay?"

I shook my head wordlessly at her. I…didn't know how to answer that question.

**Sorry, guys. I had to do it. It's my bedtime, and I wanted to get this chapter done and posted. So…reward me by reviewing! Hypno Toad commands you!**

**Hypno Toad: Review. Review. Review.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: Yes, oh wise master! -bows to Hypno Toad-**

**Ah, also, did anyone read Naruto Shippuden Manga Chapter 414? OMG...I hope Sasuke has, like, a major epitheny or however you spell it. Go, Sasuke! You can overcome your natural ass-ness!! We are rooting for you!**

**I made a new friend in PE. She likes Naruto, too--but she watches the dubbed versions. -gasps- I know, right? Anyway, she HATES Sasuke. And she loves Kakashi and Itachi. Go figure. She's constantly putting Sasuke down, and I'm trying to defend him, but if he's being a complete ass in the manga, how can I justify defending him? We argue constantly--but it's fun. I usually pull rank, though--I'm three years older than her. Ha ha, she's a freshman. Funny, ne?**


	24. Objection Tango

**Fighter by Christina Aguilera, You Win My Love by Shania Twain, Bonanza (Belly Dancer) by Akon, I'd Lie by Taylor Swift, Should've Said No by Taylor Swift, I'm Only Me When I'm With You, Konichiwa Bitches by Robyn, Be Mine by Robyn, With Every Heartbeat by Robyn, What You Want/What You Got by The Unlovables, Darkwave Surfer by Aural Vampire, The Impossible by Blake Shelton, Take A Bow by Rihanna, Viva Rock by Orange Range, Supernova Girl by Proto Zoa, Objection (Tango) by Shakira, Hips Don't Lie by Shakira, Bad Girlfriend by Theory of a Deadman, and Calabria 2007 by Enur feat. Natasja. Yeah, I listened to a lot of music.**

**SPOILER! SPOILER!**

**When I read Naruto Shippuden Manga Chapter 415 or whatever it is, my heart actually stopped. Why? Well, those who've read it know. I got my hopes up 'cause I thought she was…ya know…okay, DEAD! I THOUGHT THE BITCH WAS FINALLY DEAD! -sobs- I can't keep a secret.**

**And Chapter 416 was…disappointing. I was hoping that Sasuke would forget his whole destroy-Konoha plan…but the Naruto and Jiraiya thing was sweet. So cute.**

**Ilovetost-chan…yes, we have established that Sakura is crackish. Still…she's loveable….like me! : P Sorry if you don't like her personality…she's really randomly….like me! Hee hee…..**

**cherry1315--Yes. I am going to do a lemon. Probably in the next few chapters….-hint hint- -poke poke- Eh? Eh? I just gotta make sure that I write a good one…not jut 'Grunt grunt it's over' lol That would suck.**

**Uchiha-Kirara--lol Yes, I like number 3 a lot. I would help you. Shii is a little annoying….but funny. I love red hair, and when I picture him, looking all cute, I sob and want to include him more! I'm a sucker for redheads….except Karin. Hinata definitely deserves more screen time. She's a hell of a lot hotter than Karin! -hands cookie- Didn't mean to not include you….EAT THE COOKIE! I promise, me no put crack in cookie. At least, not a lot…..**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: -gasps- Oh noes, Sakura!**

**Sakura: What?**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: There's a squid on your head!**

**Sasuke: -walks up- Hey, you found Eddie! -grabs squid and hugs it-**

**Sakura, Kisa Kisa Yum Yum, and, for some weird reason, Lee: O.O**

**And Kabuto lurks in the corner: -sings- "Gonna stab yyyyoooouuuu……!" ( I saw it in a shikatema pic….O.O)**

**Eddie: Kisa Kisa Yum Yum does not own Naruto. Nor does she own any of the bands/artists mentioned in this chapter. She most certainly does not own 'Objection(Tango)' by Shakira.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum, Sakura, Lee: Ah! It talks! o.O**

_I was too in shock to move._

"_Sakura-chan, you're so fast--Sakura-chan?" Hinata, who'd come running up to me, slowed to a stop when she saw my expression. "You okay?"_

_I shook my head wordlessly at her. I…didn't know how to answer that question._

"Sakura-chan? Are you sure you're okay?" Hinata asked for the sixth time since we'd entered the elevator.

"Hai, I'm fine!" I said, a little more forcefully than I'd intended. I cursed when Hinata's white eyes widened, then lowered. "Gomen nasai, Hinata-chan. I just….found something out, that's all."

Her eyes rose back to mine, and she asked, tentatively, "C-can I help?"

I hesitated. Hinata had been at Konoha High for a long time; she would know whether or not Sasuke and Karin really _did _date. I didn't quite trust the redhead. "Well, there is…." I stopped. No. She wasn't the one I needed to talk to about this. I needed to talk to Sasuke. "Nothing. Just forget it."

Hinata cocked her head to the side curiously, but didn't badger me. She's so awesome.

When the elevator doors opened, we walked out together and, lo and behold, the object of my thoughts stood there, waiting impatiently. When he saw us, however, his frown instantly turned into a smile. Seeing this, my heart ached. Could he really be faking it?

Looking at Hinata, I said, "Um, you go on ahead, Hinata-chan. You should go find Naruto; Kami help us, he could be drinking."

The girl giggled at the thought, then nodded to Sasuke as she passed him. Once she was out of sight, he stepped forward and went as though to take me into his arms. But I backed up out of his reach; and, just like that, his smile disappeared, and he frowned in concern as he asked, "What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"

I bit my lip. "I…I have a question for you."

His right eyebrow rose, but he didn't respond. Taking a deep breath, I let it out in a rush: "DidyoureallygooutwithKarinandthendumpherfornoreasonatall?"

He blinked. "Huh? Repeat that, slower this time."

"Did you date Karin last semester?"

My question shocked him; I could see that by the way his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in an O of surprise. But I was surprised when almost instantly his expression hardened and he said, "Karin told you that, didn't she?"

"Uh-um…yeah," I mumbled.

I jumped when he swore loudly and flashed a dangerous look in the direction Hinata had disappeared in, which is where I'm assuming the ballroom was. "I…you don't…" He paused, then sighed. "Yes."

Alright, I ain't gonna lie to y'all. I was…really pissed. Like, really. "Oh, and you never thought that this little tidbit of info might've been something you, my boyfriend, should tell me?! That I had a right to hear it from you, not her?! Damnit, Sasuke, why the hell didn't you--"

"IT WASN'T IMPORTANT!" he burst out, interrupting my rant. When my mouth snapped closed, he repeated it, softer, "It wasn't important."

"What do you mean, it wasn't important?" I asked in frustration, trying not to get, well, frustrated. "You date a girl for a couple weeks, and you say that that wasn't important?"

He ran a hand through his hair and blew out a deep breath. "Listen to me, Sakura. I didn't go out with Karin because I liked her. I just….it was just a…well, she was pretty and she followed me everywhere and I just…took a chance. It didn't work out. End of story."

"No, not 'end of story!'" I stomped my foot impatiently at his vague explanation.

"Did you seriously just stamp your foot?" he asked, then sobered when I shot him a death glare, another specialty of mine. "Can't you just accept my word on this? Look, I only went out with her for, like, eight days. Possibly nine. Definitely no more than that. We didn't click. It just didn't work. Please, just….drop it. Please."

I bit my lip. Who should I trust; the redheaded bitch from Hell who hated my guts, or the guy I'd fallen in love with in less than a week?

'Is that a rhetorical question?' Inner Sakura asked dryly from some hidden corner of my slightly over-large brain. 'Sasuke, of course! He's a lot hotter than her, anyway…'

I burst out laughing at her/my observations, then sucked it in when I noticed Sasuke looking at me strangely. "Gomen nasai….Alright. I'll let it go. But…" My eyes met his. "No more secrets about people we may or may not have dated. Deal?"

His onyx eyes lightened when I said this. "Alright. Deal."

I turned around and stared up at the ceiling as I said, "Er…I…went out with Sugo-kun for about three days when we were fourteen."

"WHAT?!"

3--Ten Minutes Later--3

So, newly made-up, Sasuke and I joined the others in the ballroom, holding hands. But I let go of his hand and gasped when I saw the room.

It was, in a word, _breathtaking._ High ceilings, shiny floors, a great big chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room….it was amazing! Everyone was there, too--Naruto and Hinata, the former arguing with Kiba and the latter flushing and trying to soothe his ruffled feathers; Ino and Shikamaru arguing in a corner….he kept glancing across the room at Temari, who was gabbing to Gaara. I noticed that the redhead boy inched backwards when he saw Sasuke and I enter the room. Probably didn't want to get hugged again. There seemed to be other people there than I recalled.

"Sasuke-kun, this place is wicked!" I told him brightly, grabbing his hand again and propelling him forward. "Come on, we've gotta get this party started!"

"I think it's already started, Sakura-chan…" he commented.

I waved his words away and dragged him towards the large stereo system with the two huge speakers and grinned at Lee, who was standing beside it. "Hey Lee-kun!"

He beamed back at me. "Ah, hello, Sakura-chan! You are looking especially lovely this evening!'

"Awwww!" I nudged Sasuke in the ribs. "Did ya hear that, Sasuke-kun? I look 'especially lovely' this evening!"

"I told you earlier you looked pretty…" he muttered darkly.

I ignored him. "So, Lee-kun….what kinda music we got?"

The over-enthusiastic boy looked over a pile of CDs and read them off to me. "Flyleaf, September, Green Day, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Anna Nalick, Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Three Days Grace, Akon, Nickelback, Pink, Dido, Paramore, Robyn, The Unlovables, Shakira--"

"Ooh, I love Shakira!" I grabbed the CD he held out and grinned evilly. "Hehe….I am thinking evil thoughts!"

"Ooh, you gonna put on some music?!" Ino leaned over my shoulder, having miraculously zoomed from across the large room to us in nano-seconds. "Shakira is awesome! Ooh, put on the first one! The first one!"

I glanced at her, rolled my eyes, and opened the case, handing her the disc, careful not to leave fingerprint smudges on it. "Here. Put it in," I told her.

She did as I asked, then pressed play, cranking up the volume. Immediately, the music poured out of the speakers. "Oh yeah!"

I pulled Sasuke after me onto the floor as everyone glanced up from their busy conversations. "Come on, Sasuke-kun, dance with me!"

He pulled his hand out of my grasp and shook his head. "Oh no. I'm a terrible dancer."

"It's not regular dancing, Sasuke-kun! All ya gotta do is shake your body to the beat!" I couldn't believe that he couldn't dance--everyone can dance! Some people are just….less gifted than others. Others being like me.

I growled and pouted. "Fine. I'll dance with the girls or something!"

Even though I'd moaned about it, I was secretly grinning. I love Sasuke and all, but my first time really dancing in three years….I kinda wanted to do it alone. Just the first time. Then I'd drag him kicking and screaming along with me.

Ino had pulled a reluctant Tenten along with her, and I saw Temari grab Hinata's arm and tug her along with her. The shy girl looked ready to pass out, she was so red…. "B-but Temari-chan--" she was sputtering as the five of us met up.

"No buts, Hinata-chan!" Ino raised a finger and grinned. "Us girls are gonna shake our booties together--it's female bonding! Kinda like how guys drink beer, eat fattening chips, and watch football. While hitting each other. Bonding."

Cara slipped up beside me and laughed as she heard Ino's statement. "Too right, Ino-chan…So, you guys ready to dance?"

I glanced over at Karin, whose gaze I had been avoiding. She was standing beside an unhappy-looking Gaara, a drink in her hand, and a glare leveled at me. Apparently she was angry that I'd made up with Sasuke. Oh well. To Cara, I said, "Of course!"

As the beat got faster, I felt a zing of electricity rushing through my veins. I'd always loved to dance--any kind of dancing. I usually did slower dancing, like ballet or stuff like that, but I could booty-shake. I settled into my natural rhythm as Shakira's voice came through the speakers:

_It's not her fault that she's so irresistible_

_But all the damage she's caused isn't fixable_

_Every twenty seconds you repeat her name_

_But when it comes to me, you don't care_

_If I'm alive or dead, so--_

I laughed as Ino fell against me; turns out she's kinda clumsy on the dance floor. I bumped into Hinata, who squealed in terror and clutched my shirt front in order to stay upright. To the others, we musta looked really stupid. Then I realized that we were the only ones dancing. Us six girls.

"What the hell are you guys waiting for?!" I shouted to the others. "Come on, Naruto--dance!"

The blonde boy shook his head fearfully at the very suggestion. "No way! I'm not gonna be the only guy dancing with six girls!"

"Naruto!!" I growled menacingly.

Hinata's hand on my arm stopped me from advancing on him and beating him to a bloody pulp. "P-p-please, Naruto-kun. D-dance with us!" she asked him softly.

He eyed her for a second, then caved to her uber cuteness. "Alright. But only if Kiba comes with me!"

So, as Shakira started in on the chorus, it was us six girls, Naruto, and Kiba--the latter had joined in, but under protest.

_Objection, I don't wanna be the exception_

_To get a bit of your attention_

_I love you for free and I'm not your mother_

_But you don't even bother_

_Objection, I'm tired of this triangle_

_Got dizzy, dancing tango_

_I'm falling apart in your hands again_

_No way, I've got to get away!_

I wiggled my hips and laughed when Tenten whistled at me. She was doing pretty good herself; I could see that, big butt or no(refer to Chapter 9), she could shake it. **(A/N: Ha ha…Tenten strikes me as the type of girl who could dance.)**

_Next to her cheap silicon I look minimal_

_That's why in front of your eyes I'm invisible_

_But you gotta know small things also count_

_You better put your feet on the ground_

_And see what it's about, so--_

I bumped butts with Naruto and laughed crazily when he fell into Kiba--they both teetered and tottered for a moment, then righted themselves. With a feral grin, Naruto bumped me back, but, unfortunately for him, I've done this a million times, so I hardly even moved. I laughed. He pouted. Hinata giggled.

_Objection, I don't wanna be the exception_

_To get a bit of your attention_

_I love you for free and I'm not your mother_

_But you don't even bother_

_Objection, the angles of this triangle_

_Got dizzy, dancing tango_

_I'm falling apart in your hands again_

_No way! No no no no no…_

Cara rolled her hips, and I copied the move, cause I'm cool like that. Then I rolled my hips again, and she copied me. It was kinda fun. I'd never really danced with someone that could dance like her. She was almost as good as me.

Note emphasis on _almost._ Can't do it like me.

I'm egotistical. Does it show?

Good. Glad we got that straightened out.

_I wish there was a chance for you and me_

_I wish you couldn't find a place to be_

_Away from here….!_

I clapped in time to the beat.

_Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap._

_It's just pathetic and sardonic_

_It's sadistic and psychotic_

_Tango is not for three_

_Was never meant to be_

_But you can try it_

_Rehearse it, or train like a horse_

_But don't you count on me_

_Don't you count on me, boy!_

Temari grinned at the words. I guess she'd never heard the song before. A crying shame. Shakira is the Goddess of Dance. She's, like, my idol. She's got it all--the voice, the looks, and she can dance. I mean, have you seen the music video for Hips Don't Lie? It made me go on a diet. No lie.

_Objection, I don't wanna be the exception_

_To get a bit of your attention_

_I love you for free and I'm not your mother_

_But you don't even bother_

_Objection, I'm tired of this triangle_

_Got dizzy, dancing tango_

_I'm falling apart in your hands again_

_No way, I've got to get away!_

_Get away! Get away, hey, hey, hey_

_Get away! _

_Uh-huh huh huh_

_Uh-huh huh huh_

_Uh-huh huh huh_

_Uh-huh huh huh_

_Huh huh_

_I'm falling apart in your hands again_

_Get away!_

_I'm falling apart in your hands again_

_Get away!_

I whooped when the last notes of the song faded away. "Kami, that felt AWESOME!" I screeched. "Another! Another!"

"Oh no. Enough dancing for you!" Sasuke dragged me from the dance floor over to the food table, which I hadn't seen when we'd first arrived.

"Ooh! Cake!" I exclaimed, attention quickly diverted by sweets.

"What is it with you and sweet things?" Sasuke grumbled.

I giggled and rose on tiptoe, leaning in close to whisper in his ear, "Sasuke-kun, after this, you wanna dirty dance?"

A pink flush lit up his face, and he pulled back from me, staring at me as if I'd suggested we burn down the school. Hm, not a bad idea…..Right. Focus.

"No, I don't wanna dirty dance!" he hissed, glancing around to make sure no one could hear us.

"Ah, come on! You know you wanna!" I grinned as his adorable flush got darker. "All guys like to dirty dance!"

"Well, not this guy!" He glanced around again, then lowered his voice and said, "Sakura-chan, I'm not a hormone-crazed guy that just wants to get into your pants! I really like you…and I want to take my time with you. Going fast doesn't lead you anywhere but breaking up."

I blinked at his passionate speech. Then a slow smile spread over my face as I realized what he was saying. "So, I'm more than just a piece of ass to you?"

"Of course, you moron!" he half-shouted. Thankfully, no one could hear him over the currently-playing Shakira song.

"Sasuke-kuuuuuuuuuuun!" I yelled, launching myself at him and wrapping my arms around his waist, burying my face in his chest. "You're so sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!"

He smiled and pulled me tighter to him, and I moved so that my chin was resting in the crook between his shoulder and his neck. That's when I saw who was staring at us, eyes full of hate and, dare I say it, envy. Jealousy. Anger. Red-hot boiling rage. Who was this person?

Well, you'll have to wait until the next chapter.

**Nyah! I have left on a huge cliffhanger! Sleep in fear tonight!!**

**Lots of good-natured fun in this one. It starts off kinda melancholy...and then goes to them dancing. Go figure. O.O**

**-coughs- Sorry. I'm sick. I was checked out of school Monday, stayed home Tuesday, went back for the rest of the week, then got checked out again on Friday. It kinda hurts to breathe.**

**Oh, that reminds me. I was thinking of using the song 'Bad Girlfriend' by Theory of a Deadman for the next chapter. But it's kinda naughty…waddaya guys think?**

**Oh, and please, no death threats. I'll pee my pants.**

**Also, I am now a betareader. If you'd like me to betaread a story for you, request me. :P**


	25. Sudden Blast of Lust

**What You Want/What You Got by The Unlovables, Samantha by The Unlovables, Vacation by The Unlovables, Everything's Overrated by The Unlovables, I Turn To You by Christina Aguilera, Twilight by Vanessa Carlton, My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion, and so many others...**

**Okay, I'm gonna put 'Bad Girlfriend' by Theory of a Deadmanin this one, I think. A good song. Nice to shake ya booty to! **

**Um, a warning: This chapter has some…stronger…material in it. I'm getting close to the lemon, people. Close. Building up tension….oh yeah, baby. Alright. I'll shut up now.**

**Naruto: -sings- "I'm an ugly girl, my face makes you huuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrllll!!"**

**Sakura: You're actually a good-looking girl when you go into Sexy Jutsu, Naruto.**

**Naruto: It's a song, Sakura-chan! -rolls eyes- You're so weird.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: Right……anyways…..**

**Naruto: Kisa Kisa Yum Yum doesn't own me. Hey, your name is too long! It's too much of an effort to type!**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: What are you complaining about, you crazy person? I'm the one typing! You're sitting on your ass eating ramen!**

_"Sasuke-kuuuuuuuuuuun!" I yelled, launching myself at him and wrapping my arms around his waist, burying my face in his chest. "You're so sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!"_

_He smiled and pulled me tighter to him, and I moved so that my chin was resting in the crook between his shoulder and his neck. That's when I saw who was staring at us, eyes full of hate and, dare I say it, envy. Jealousy. Anger. Red-hot boiling rage. Who was this person?_

_Well, you'll have to wait until the next chapter._

You done waiting yet? Well, it was….

Karin. Yeah, the bitch. I mean, who else could it be? Nah, I just wanted to make you guys think. ….did it work?

So anyways, yes she was glowering at us. It was actually kinda funny… But her negativity was killing my buzz. So when I pulled away from Sasuke, I grabbed his hand with a grin and said, "Come on, I wanna dance again!"

He rolled his eyes, but allowed my to lead him back onto the dance floor. We were just in time for the next song to come on, and I laughed when I recognized the beginning of the fast-paced song. "So, can the great Uchiha dance?" I asked him with a teasing lilt to my voice.

"Can I dance?" he asked, his eyebrows raised. "Of course I can dance. The question is, can _you _dance?"

I scoffed. "I was _born _dancing, Uchiha!" I grinned as the lyrics poured from the speakers, and laughed aloud as his eyes widened in shock. Singing along, I began to move.

_My girlfriend's a dick magnet, my girlfriend gotta have it_

_She's hot, can't stop, up on stage, doin' shots_

_Tip the man, he'll ring the bell, get her drunk, she'll scream like hell_

_Dirty girl, getting' down, dance with guys from outta town_

_Grab her ass, actin' tough, mess with her she'll fuck you up_

_No one really knows if she's drunk or if she's stoned_

_But she's comin' back to my place tonight_

As it went into the chorus, I was surprised when I felt Sasuke's presence behind me. When I'd begun to dance, he had just stood there, jaw dropped and eyes popping out of their sockets. He's apparently gotten over his shock at the naughty words and was dancing along with me. I can honestly say that I've never really danced with a guy; and when I say danced, I mean dirty danced. Like, grinding up against another person, feeling their body so close to yours. I mean, sure, I'd danced like that with….no wait, I'd never danced with girls like this, either. I never really had any girl friends….huh. Strange.

Anyways, I'm used to dancing alone. So it was a shock when I felt Sasuke's hands on my hips, guiding them into falling into a rhythm that felt strangely natural. His touch on me was like touching a candle--hot hot hot. And when I felt his…you know…brushing up against my butt, I let out a squeal of surprise that was thankfully unheard over the music.

A part of me wanted to pull away, panicking, saying that this was too much, too fast--but I have a tendency of not listening to that part of me. Hell, if I did, I would be in Catholic school getting swatted across the knuckles by strict nuns. I allowed it. And I liked it. A little too much, that part of me whispered. I'm ignoring it.

_Red thong, party's on, love this song, sing along_

_Come together, leave alone, see ya later, back at home_

_No one really knows if she's drunk or if she's stoned_

_But she's comin' back to my place tonight_

_I said, no one really knows just how far she's gonna go_

_But I'm gonna find out later tonight_

I'd never felt so exhilarated, so carefree, so desired. The way his hips moved against mine made my breath catch, made my pulse speed up to twice its normal pace, made a weird, deep ache start somewhere deep in my belly.

_She likes to shake her ass, she grinds it to the beat_

_She likes to pull my hair when I make her grind her teeth_

_I like to strip her down, she's naughty to the end_

_You know what she is, no doubt about it_

_She's a bad, bad girlfriend_

I suddenly couldn't stand it, couldn't bare it any longer. I jerked forward so that his hands fell from my hips and swiveled around to face him. His eyes were smoldering, with no trace of humor in the onyx depths; just a passion, a desire that I understood all too well. So I leaned up and pressed my lips to his.

Unlike our other kisses, this one was hot, molten, toe-curling and, if my eyes had been open, I'm sure I would have seen stars. It was a deeper level than anything we'd ever come across, but neither of us wanted to break it. He pulled me close to him, crushing me to him, my soft curves molding to his lean and hard planes. And the kiss went on and on, unbroken, breathless because neither of us wanted to let go, even to breathe. If anyone was paying attention, I hope they were timing it--this was surely a kiss for the Guinness books.

I slid my arms up around his neck and pressed my chest against his, not even smiling when he moaned, because I was moaning, too. Oh Kami, he tasted so good. I wanted to go on kissing him forever. I wanted to never let him go. I wanted to stay in our own little world for eternity. I wanted--I wanted--

"You wanna get a room or something?"

We jerked apart at the voice and once I'd stared at him dazedly for a minute (or six), I saw that it was the Kid--I mean, Tomisho. Cara was by his side, watching us in amusement. When she saw that I was looking at her, she winked and mouthed, 'Rawr!' I felt the deep blush creeping up my neck and cleared my throat. My voice was still croaky when I said, "Um, pardon?"

Tomisho rolled his eyes and replied, "You two were totally just having a total make-out session in the middle of the dance floor. And it's a slow song, too."

I vaguely noted that he was correct; 'Bad Girlfriend' was over and had been replaced by a pretty Vanessa Carlton song--I was too out of it to recognize the tune. "Um…well, we, uh….." I glanced up and over at Sasuke. He was stony-faced, and there was a smear of my lip gloss on his mouths, which was now pressed into a thin line of disapproval. What the hell was he mad about; the fact that Tomisho interrupted us, or that I'd suddenly kissed him, or that we'd been snogging in view of the whole hotel? "I'm gonna go get some punch," I muttered, then slipped away before they could stop me.

I made my way through the sea of bodies and staggered to the refreshment table. When I tried to ladle some punch into one of those little clear plastic cups, I was disappointed to see that my hand was shaking. I plunked the serving utensil back into the crystal bowl and plopped onto a nearby chair, my head in my hands. What the hell had I done? I'd just made out with my boyfriend in front of everyone! EVERYONE! What kind of whore tries to go to town on her boyfriend in the middle of the dance floor?!

"Sakura-chan?" I looked up at the voice, then dropped my head back in my hands.

I felt Tenten sit on the seat beside me and pat me on the back, asking, "What's wrong? Do you feel ill?"

I almost snapped at her, but then I heard the sincerity in her voice. So, with a sigh, I replied, "No. I'm just….ashamed of myself."

The surprise in her voice spoke for itself as she said, "Nani? Ashamed of yourself? For what? Kissing your boyfriend?"

That last part made me poke my head up and stare at her in…shock. "Y-you, uh, saw, uh, that?" I managed.

She nodded. "Oh, of course. Everyone saw it." When my head lowered again, she added, "But it's a perfectly natural thing, Sakura-chan. I mean, you think I don't get the hots for Neji from time to time? You think making out with Sasuke in front of a hotel half-full of strangers is bad, then listen to this; I was invited, along with Lee so as not to raise suspicion, to a family gathering at Neji-kun's. His whole family was there; Hinata's dad, Hinata's little sis, and basically any other Hyuga that lived in the same time zone. It was a huge gala, everyone in formal attire. I came in a dress that made me look fat, my hair was a mess, and I didn't have on any make-up. Oh, did I mention I was sweaty?"

I was now sitting straight and watching her as she told the story. I'm a sucker for pitiful tales. "No, you didn't. So what happened?"

Tenten grimaced as she said, "Well, I was so nervous that I drank three glasses of champagne, flirted with a distant cousin of his, and ended up glomping Neji right in front of his uncle."

I winced. "Ouch."

"Yeah." She nodded, then sighed. "Let's just say that this little story is another reason why Neji-kun and I's relationship is hush-hush. His uncle hates me! And Hanabi, Hinata's little sister, who is, by the way, only like ten or eleven, threatened to pull out my intestines through my ass and castrate Neji if I gave him anything."

I couldn't help it. I laughed. I laughed and I laughed and I laughed. I laughed so hard and for so long that I swore that several of my ribs fractured, if didn't out-right break. My laughing spree lasted for what seemed like hours, then I finally began to quiet. When my laughter turned into hiccups, Tenten was smiling at me. Yes, smiling. "You finished?" she asked kindly.

"Y-yeah…" I wheezed.

"It is pretty funny. At the time, I was still slightly drunk, so it was hilarious. Lee had to drag me out of there before Hanabi saw red and decided to kill me right then and there. Neji took it pretty well. He didn't dump me, though he gave me the silent treatment for a couple days. But your situation is totally different. Just go talk to Sasuke. He's probably as confused as you are."

I sighed and grudgingly admitted, "I really didn't want to stop. I wanted him to keep kissing me, to keep touching me, to--" I glanced up at her. "Does that…make me a whore?"

"You want to know a secret?" she asked conspiratorially, and I leaned forward. In my ear, she whispered, "Neji-kun and I have already done it."

My jaw dropped, and I reared back from her in shock. "Are you serious?!" My voice was unnecessarily squeaky.

"Yup. Twice." When my eyes bulged, she giggled. "But we're in love. It doesn't make you a whore to make love with the one you love. You love Sasuke, right?"

"More than life itself!" I half-yelled, then quieted when a couple of people near us looked over to our corner.

"Good!" Tenten grinned and slapped me on the back a few times. Damnit, she's strong. "Now go tell your boyfriend what you just told me!"

"H-he doesn't know I love him," I confessed.

"No no, not the love thing! The I-didn't-want-to-stop thing!" Tenten waved her arms at my silly misunderstanding and stood, giving me a 'Nice Guy' pose that gave me an awful sense of déjà vu and said, "Now go, Sakura-chan, and get laid!!"

I had the sudden urge to stand, salute, and shout, "Yes, Tenten-chan! And if I cannot get laid, then I will run two hundred laps around Konoha in my underwear!" or something like that. I thankfully tamped down on the embarrassing notion and stood too. "Alright, calm down. And stop doing that, you're freaking me out!"

As I walked away, I heard her laughing behind me, then the sound was swallowed up by the loud music blasting from the speakers, the deep bass making the floor thump as some up-beat song about a girl kissing another girl **(A/N: I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry--love that song!)** was playing. I searched around for a sign of my boyfriend, but there was no sighting of the chicken-butt head anywhere. I sighed and turned, and almost bumped into a couple dancing. "Oops, gomen nasai!" I shouted above the music, then grinned when I saw who it was. "Oh, Hinata-chan, Naruto."

Hinata flushed as my gaze strayed knowingly to where Naruto's hand rested possessively on her hip as they turned at my words. Inner Sakura was giggling as the blonde yelled, "Oi, Sakura-chan! Where's Teme?"

"Uh, I dunno, why?"

He sighed and whined, "Because I was gonna bum some money off of him!"

A vessel in my forehead twitched angrily as I said, "Naruto, you're so dumb. Sasuke owns the freaking hotel, everything's free!"

"Yeah, but--" He glanced at Hinata, then said, "Can I talk to you alone for a minute, Sakura-chan?"

I opened my mouth to refuse, then gave into his pleading look and nodded. Naruto pressed a quick kiss to Hinata's head (aw, how sweet!) and grabbed my hand, leading me away. I flashed the confused Hinata a helpless look and allowed the blonde to lead me. He eventually pulled me out of the throng of people and out of the ballroom, out into the lobby of the hotel.

Once we were far enough away, he let go of me and said, in a low, rushed voice, "Alright, here's the thing. I need….uh…protection."

My face must have relayed my cluelessness because he sighed and continued, "You know…uh…condoms…"

That I understood. "Are you fucking insane?!" I asked him in disbelief. "You just ask the girl to marry you and now you're going to have sex with her?! What kind of a--"

"It's not sex, Sakura-chan," he broke into my tirade, his expression serious.

"Huh?" I was, again, clueless.

"If Hinata-chan and I do anything, it will be making love. I love her and she loves me."

I almost keeled over in exasperation. The two were 'engaged' for less than twenty-four hours and had already confessed their love for each other?! Oh, I am SUCH a good matchmaker!! "Oh really…. So you love her, huh?" I questioned slyly.

He flushed a light pink and said, "Hai, I do. The last few days with her have been awesome. And even if her dad doesn't approve of her marrying me" -his chin rose a degree and a determined light flared to life in his eyes- "then he can go screw himself! I love Hinata-chan, and I'll tell anyone who wants to know!!"

It was hard to keep a straight face. He just looks so cute when he's being serious. Finally, I managed to say, without erupting into laughter, "Good for you, Naruto. You both deserve it. And, on that note…" I grinned. "Come with me up to my room, and I'll lend you the money for your…protection."

I'm not quite sure how he can go from deadly serious to extremely happy, but he made the transformation in less than a nanosecond. "Wahoo! Oh, you're the best, Sakura-chan! Arigato, arigato, arigato!!"

So I once again found myself in an elevator, riding up to my room yet again. I dug into my bra, yet again, and pulled out the key and, yet again, unlocked my door. I rummaged around in my wallet which I'd suddenly found a use for (keeping money, who'da thought) and pulled out a decent amount of cash. I handed it to him and said, "Get lots and lots. I don't want you running out and us having little Uzumakis running amuck in Konoha. At least, not for a few years yet."

He rolled his eyes and took the money excitedly. "Arigato, Sakura-chan! I'll pay you ba--"

An angry yell interrupted his sentence. "I don't know what the hell you think you're doing, but I want you out of my room, now!!"

I gasped as I recognized Sasuke's voice and ran over to where our rooms joined, pressing my ear against the door. Naruto followed suit, and we stayed that way, like little eavesdropping mice, as a female voice shouted back, "But Sasuke-kun, I--"

"That little bitch!" I muttered as I placed the voice to the face. "That redheaded bitch from Hell!"

"Shh!" Naruto hissed, and we listened once more as Sasuke replied, "No buts! Just get the hell out of my room, now!"

Her voice was spiteful now as she bit out waspishly, "Why, so your little ugly girlfriend can come over here? So you can fuck her? I'm ten times better than that flat bitch!"

I growled warningly in my throat at the insult and reached for the door handle, but Naruto stopped me, hissing at me again to stop. I couldn't help a quick, "I'm not flat!" before I turned back to listen in.

"I will not allow you to speak of Sakura like that. She's my girlfriend, she's beautiful, and she is _more _than enough woman for me."

I grinned at Sasuke's comeback, but only had a few seconds to gloat before Karin said, "You can't really care about her, not after what you told me! You told me that you loved me! Don't you remember, Sasuke-kun?" Her voice got silky as she purred, "How much fun we had together? How much we had in common? How much--"

There was the sound of a door jerking open, then Sasuke's voice, hard and unyielding, "Out. Now. I don't want to hear another word."

Karin huffed angrily, and by her footsteps she flounced to the door, then stopped and said, "Are you saying that you don't love me anymore? The way you used to?"

A pause, then, "No. I'm saying that I lied." Slam.

I looked at Naruto, and he looked at me, and we grinned at each other. Justice, sweet justice.

**Ohh. Eem. Gee. I just suddenly had the inspiration to write this. It's almost two in the morning, and I have school tomorrow/today. Be glad I'm writing this, y'all--actually, be glad I'm updating. I know it's been awhile….**

**So, if you want more sasusaku goodness, stop by my page and read The Elevator, of which I just put up Chapter 3. It is, like, so cool. Srsly.**

Someone told me not to read Twilight by Stephenie Meyers until I finished this story because I would be comparing them together. That person was right. I was so shocked by how much Sakura and Bella are alike in the beginning, it's scary. But I loved the book so much that I'm forcing my friend Marion to let me borrow New Moon. -sighs-


	26. Protection, Lust, and Lies

**She Is The Sunlight by Trading Yesterday, Unlove You by Elisa Estrada, XO by Fall Out Boy, Love Story by Taylor Swift, I'd Lie by Taylor Swift, Darkwave Surfer by Aural Vampire, Misery Business by Paramore, Samantha by The Unlovables, Fall For You by Secondhand Grenade, Paper Planes by M.I.A., Snakes On A Plane (Bring It) by Cobra Starship, Check Yes Juliet by We the Kings.**

**You guys have heard about Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer, right? It's like the first Twilight book, told from Edward's POV. I can't believe that someone Mrs. Meyer trusted so deeply would illegally publish her unfinished book online! I mean, she says that it wasn't 'malicious', but still, I mean, come on! And now it's on hold. And I read the first chapter (legally) from her official website, and it sounds awesome! It bites… I just finished Breaking Dawn. It changed my life! Never saw that coming! O.O**

**On a happier note, my mommy bought me Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3! How cool is that? I love it!!!!!!!!!! Even if Kakashi did steal my crystals… -eye twitch- Damn that silver-haired man!**

**Kristi: I'll kill you!**

**Ergh…that's my friend Kristi. She loves Kakashi. Like, a lot. She wrote 'Kakashi is a sexy beast!' all over my high school locker room. Yeah, that's obsessed. We like to vandalize. And defile. Those are our hobbies.**

**Kristi: This chick does not own Naruto. If she did, we would already have found a way to bring Kakashi to life, and we would be married and have sixteen kids.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: Don't ask. o.O**

* * *

_Karin huffed angrily, and by her footsteps she flounced to the door, then stopped and said, "Are you saying that you don't love me anymore? The way you used to?"_

_A pause, then, "No. I'm saying that I lied." Slam._

_I looked at Naruto, and he looked at me, and we grinned at each other. Justice, sweet justice._

"Sasuke-teme TOLD that bitch!" Naruto whispered loudly, his eyes dancing with mirth. "How cool is he right now?!"

"Very cool." My grin was megawatt. "Very, very cool."

He chuckled, then stood and stretched. "Ah, well, this has been very entertaining and all, but I've got a beautiful girl waiting for me in her bedroom, and I still have to buy condoms."

"Onegai, Naruto, call it protection. Condoms sounds weird, coming from you…." I told him, my eye twitching.

We both walked to the door, and Naruto flung it open.

"OUCH!"

"Oops….gomen, Teme!" Naruto scratched the back of his head as Sasuke, who'd just been hit in the face, glared at him. "How come your face is all red?"

"You just hit me with a door, you moron." Sasuke took in the sight of Naruto, clutching money in his hand, and me standing behind him. "You know, a lesser man would question my best friend coming out of my girlfriend's room with money in his hand."

"Well then, I'm glad you're not a lesser man!" I told him brightly, then shoved the blonde out the door. "Go buy your protection, Naruto. And be gentle. I'm pretty sure Hinata-chan is a virgin."

As Naruto ran off with a grin, Sasuke said, "I'm not even gonna ask…." He slid past me into the room, and I closed the door. "How come you're not at the party?" he asked me.

"Um…..why aren't YOU at the party?" I replied, unsure about whether I should mention the overheard conversation.

He shrugged. "Just had to take care of some things. Then I thought I heard something over here, so I came to investigate, and…." He gestured to his face, still pink. "Okay, your turn."

I was suddenly nervous. It had just dawned on me that this was the first time I'd seen or spoken with Sasuke since the dancing incident. "Uh… I came up here to, uh, clear my head…." Inner Sakura smacked herself in the forehead. 'You moron!' she shouted.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Clear your head? Why--" A shocked look of realization crossed his face, then he smirked. "Oh. You mean after our make-out session in front of everyone."

Even as I yelled "No!", my cheeks reddened in embarrassment. How the hell can he be so damn perceptive?!

His look was smug. "Yeah, it was pretty awesome, wasn't it?"

"Oh, so take all the credit!" I reacted like any female would to the male pride in his voice. I simultaneously became angry and slightly smug myself. "I was doing the kissing too, ya know! I'm totally the best kisser here!"

Before I knew it, he was standing before me, his arms wrapped tightly around me, and his lips against my ear. "Oh really? Well then, let's have a contest, shall we?"

My knees threatened to buckle at the sensual promise in his voice, but I used all my mental will to stop them. "I-I don't think that's s-such a good i-idea!" I squeaked, then inwardly cursed at my stammer.

He chuckled, and the warm air that blew onto my ear at the action almost made me moan. I clutched at his shirt and took several deep breaths. Couldn't he see that his nearness was making my breathing rough and irregular? Did he WANT me to faint?

"Chicken!" He blew softly into my ear, and I couldn't hold back my tiny gasp.

"Am n-not!" I protested, then squeezed my eyes tightly shut as he chuckled again.

"Llllliiiiiaaaarrrrr….." he taunted, then caught my earlobe between his teeth.

I sucked in a sharp breath, and suddenly, I didn't care. I didn't care that we were in my bedroom, that we were completely alone, that the only person who knew where we were was occupied and wouldn't bug us. That didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered was that he was with me, and we wanted each other, and we were alone. I let go of his shirt, took his face between my hands, and took his lips in a kiss.

It was every bit as fiery as the last, and I moaned into the kiss, pressing my body to his and reveling in the feel of his hands gripping my waist. There was something thrilling in the way he took possession of the embrace, his hands caressing me, and my skin beneath my clothing burned where he touched. The temperature in the room was cool, but I was on fire, burning, gasping for air as we surfaced from the kiss.

He bent his head so that our foreheads were touching, and for a moment we both panted for breath. I don't know about him, but I was having to rein my emotions in. I'd been almost to the point of no control when he'd broken the kiss, and though I was disappointed that he had, I was also grateful. It was frightening for me, feeling so out of control. I mean, keeping my composure wasn't my strongest trait, but I'd always managed to turn on the sprinklers and cool myself down, whether I was angry or, since I'd met Sasuke, on fire with desire.

But tonight… Damnit, tonight made no sense. Tonight, I didn't want to turn the sprinklers on. I wanted to let the fire burn and rage out of control. I wanted it to burn me down. As long as I was burning with him, I was fine. And it was scary.

His eyes, which had been closed, opened then, and stared straight into mine. He must have caught some of my inner turmoil from my gaze, for he smiled and brushed a tendril of hair back behind my ear. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, his voice husky.

"…." I didn't know what to say. So I just shook my head.

"If something's bugging you, then tell me," he continued, his smile dimming slightly

I shook my head again.

"Sakura…." he growled warningly.

I sighed. "Alright, alright. It's just… I feel like… Well, Naruto and Hinata are going to do 'It' tonight, and…. I just…"

"What's 'It'?" he asked when I faltered.

"Oh come on, Sasuke-kun. Don't be dense. They're gonna have se--er, I mean, make love," I amended, remembering Naruto's insistence over the term.

He chuckled. "Oh. So that's why he was going to buy condoms. Let me guess, he was bugging you for cash?"

"Yup. He was looking for you, but you'd disappeared to Kami knows where, so I decided to lend him the moola," I continued, then hesitated.

"And…..?" he prodded, his warm hand playing with the small lock of hair that fell back over my face. "What does that have to do with what's wrong with you?"

I groaned in frustration. "Kami, can't you just leave it be?! Why do you have to be so damn persistent?!"

"I'm sensing anger in your response," he said, then sighed.

The warm breath of air hit my face, and I was surprised at his minty-fresh breath. "Did you brush your teeth?" I asked.

"Nani?" His expression was confused.

"Your breath smells really good," I explained, then grinned. "Are you one of those people who brush their teeth excessively? Mouth germs and all that?"

"No. I brushed my teeth when I came back up to my room, when Kar--" He fell silent.

I immediately tensed, even though I'd heard the conversation and knew what had happened. Still, I questioned, in a tight voice, "Karin? What did she do?" Might as well play dumb.

"Nothing. Forget I said anything," he replied, then stepped away from me. I felt the loss of warmth, and goosebumps sprang up on my arms beneath my shirt.

Shivering, I said, "Sasuke-kun, tell me what happened. I won't get mad." After all, I already knew what had gone on. No biggie, right?

With a resigned sigh, he gave in. "Alright. She just came into my room, okay? I didn't even talk to her, just threw her out. Plain and simple. Nothing to get worked up about."

I stared at him with wide eyes. His expression was completely innocent, if slightly tense. He looked angry, but not guilty. His eyes weren't lying.

But his words were.

Didn't even talk to her? I'd heard him, with my own ears. They'd had a whole big blow-out. The bitch had called me names, and demeaned our relationship. Why was he lying? What was he hiding? Why was he hiding it from me?

Did he think it would make me upset, or was he covering something up? Was he genuinely concerned about my reaction, or was there a purpose behind the falsehood?

The biggest question of all:

Did I really want to know?

* * *

**I know, I know, it's really late, and really short, but I'm freezing my ass off (not that I wouldn't be willing to part with some of it lol) and my fingers are half-frozen. **

**I was going to do a lemon in this one, but I just couldn't get into the mood. I tried music, visual representation (was scarred for days…) and I even tried meditating. Didn't work. I'll try to get one in the next couple of chapters, though. I really wanna write a lemon, and I'm pretty sure you guys wanna read one, right? Well, I'm trying. Stick with me here.**

**So I decided to open up a whole new can of worms. He lied to her! -gasps- But were his intentions good?**

**If I need to answer any questions, please PM me, 'cause I forget. Ciao!**


	27. It's your baby, Kiba!

**She Is The Sunlight by Trading Yesterday, Bruises by Chairlift, Gunpowder and Lead by Miranda Lambert, Desperation by Miranda Lambert, More Like Her by Miranda Lambert, Love Letters by Miranda Lambert, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend by Miranda Lambert, I Just Can't Live A Lie by Carrie Underwood, Love Me Two Times by The Doors.**

**I can't believe the last couple of chapters of Naruto Shippuden. No way can You-Know-Who die! It's unnatural! Kristi's gonna kill me….**

**Dogsack123--OMG, you're so kind!!!!!!!! I want to write a book, but I doubt that I'd use this story…. First of all, I'd have to switch things up quite a bit, then I'd have to put everyone who reviewed me in the acknowledgment. There are a lot of you, and all I know is your fanfiction names! People would read it and be like, "Who is Dogsack123?" lol But it's a nice compliment…. I was screaming in ecstasy to my mom for about two hours after I got your review. She was like, " O.O I'll go make dinner…."**

**And yes, I love Elisa Estrada. She's awesome! And pretty….**

**And let it just be known that I do not watch porn….. Alright-y, then….**

**Naruto: You talk too much.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: Look who's talking, cracker.**

**Naruto: Ooh, a cracker?! Where?!**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: That's my new word. Even my almost-two year old nephew says, "Crack!" His mom is a bad influence…**

**Hinata: Um…. Naruto… There is no cracker….**

**Naruto: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Hinata: Um…. Kisa Kisa Yum Yum does not own Naruto or anything but this story and her OCs. Hey Naruto, there's a cliff--**

**Splat!**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: Oh dear. O.O**

When I didn't move, he frowned in concern and asked, "Is something wrong? You look pale."

I shook my head to clear it, and gave him a tremulous smile. "N-no, I'm fine. Just tired."

Sasuke's answering smile was understanding as he moved forward to pull me into his arms. I went willingly, for even with his lie and my doubts, I wanted to be near him. "Alright. Go to bed. If you need anything, I'm right next door," he said.

"You're not staying?" I cursed mentally as soon as I voiced the question.

"Well, I just don't want Naruto or anyone else to burst in here. If you want me to, however, I'll stay." He said this with a grin, a grin that spoke of amusement, and slightly of relief. Relief that I'd dropped the topic without a fuss?

Again, I shook my head, this time in refusal. "No, it's fine. I'll be okay."

When he leaned in to kiss my forehead, my eyes closed at the sweet gesture, then reluctantly opened again as he pulled back. "The dobe said something about having a group meeting in the morning. Who knows what that baka's planning," he said.

I managed a weak smile as he whispered, "Good night."

I watched as he slipped back into his room via our connected door. The squeezing sensation I'd felt earlier came back full force. This was all to damn confusing. I wallowed in my own self-pity for a while, then walked over to the bed. I plopped down on the edge and lifted the phone.

A girl picked up on the second ring. "Concierge, how may I help you?"

"Could you put me through to Yamanaka Ino, please?" I asked politely.

"Just a moment." Several beeps and clickety-clacks of a keyboard later, the phone was calling again.

"Who's it?" a sleepy voice answered.

"Oh, I figured you'd still be at the party." This was part of the reason I'd called.

"Sakura?" There were muffled noises, so I assume she sat up in bed and turned on the light or something. "What's up? You know it's, like, eleven, right?"

Wow. I hadn't known that. "I know, sorry. I just…" I trailed off, not sure just what I was going to say.

A squeak, then a thud, and she said, "What did he do?"

"Lied to me about his liaison with his ex-girlfriend."

Gasp. "How dare he?! I've got chocolate, I'll be right over!" Click.

I thought about calling back and telling her not to come, but… she was bringing chocolate.

It hadn't even been five minutes before she was banging on the door. I opened it, and there was the sweet, sweet--wait a minute. "Where the hell is the chocolate?!" I demanded of her as she slipped past me into the room.

"Forgot I ate it all. Don't flip, every room has gobs."

"Really?"

She walked over to the closet which, I noticed for the first time, was next to a huge cabinet. Huh. You'd think I'd've seen it. "Go get into your jammies!" Ino called over her shoulder as she began rummaging in the cabinet. "I'll set it out!"

Gazing longingly at the glorious cabinet, I pried myself away, got my pajamas from the dresser, and locked myself away into the bathroom. I took a quick shower, towel-dried my hair as best as I could, and slipped on my other set of pajamas. (Not Hello Kitty.)

When I got back into the room, I stopped dead in my tracks. There, lying on my bed, was the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen. Holy light shone from above upon the comforter, where mounds of chocolaty goodness was spread out. I was salivating heavily when Ino emerged from the cabinet, clutching two glass bottles full of red liquid. "This is so unfair! You totally have a bigger fridge than I do--and more chocolate!" she grumbled.

"I'm just special," I said with a grin.

"More like dating the owner," she replied with a dark look. "Why can't Kiba be the owner of half of everything?!"

I rolled my eyes. "Ino, you're so greedy. Besides, Kiba's gonna be a vet, right? Just think of all the cute animals!"

She snorted and said, "Oh yeah, rabid dogs and cancerous hamsters!"

"Don't forget pregnant cats!" I added, then ignored her glare. "Come on, didn't you come here to drown in my woes?"

This cheered her up ridiculously fast. "Oh, right! So, spill it! What did Lover Boy lied about?"

We steadily ate our way through the chocolate (I almost began to cry when the chocolate-covered cherries were gone) and drank the red stuff (which turned out to be called 'Cherry-Schmarry Rummy-Dummy' I know, I know…)

"Is this really rum?" I asked her, eyeing the half-empty bottle in my hand.

Ino shook her head. "Naw, we're minors. It's fruit juice with a funny name. I've had it before."

She interrupted at certain intervals during my story with an appropriate, "Aw…", "No way!", and the occasional, "That cracker!", punctuated by gasps and snorts of disgust. By the end, she was hanging onto my every word, mouth agape.

"I can't believe he LIED to you!" she half-yelled. "What a bastard!"

I sighed. "That's the thing; I don't know if he was just lying to me to cover something up, or lying to keep me from worrying. Or killing Karin, which I'm totally gonna do tomorrow."

"Oh totally, you don't go back from something like that." Ino sat up and picked up Sasuke Jr. "By the way, this thing is totally cute! I wish I had a tiny Kiba-kun!"

"Oh, so now it's Kiba-kun," I mumbled as she hugged Sasuke Jr.

"Shut up. Anyways, maybe I'll get someone to make me one. I'm gonna ask Itachi-sensei who made these when we go back to school."

As I watched her cooing at Sasuke Jr., I suddenly got a guilty feeling. "Hey Ino, how are things going with Kiba? I feel so selfish, I haven't even asked."

She instantly became depressed. It was kind of funny to watch. "Oh. Well, actually, when I left the party, he was dancing with some girl I've never seen before. I swear, we had a lot of party crashers!"

"Another girl?!" I jumped up from the bed and growled, "How could he be dancing with another girl?! I thought he really liked you! I mean, how could he-- HE'S SUCH A BASTARD!"

Ino flipped over onto her stomach and sighed. "Well, it might have something to do with the fact that I told him that I wasn't ready for a serious relationship right now."

"What--? What the hell did you do that for?! Are you insane?!" I stared at her like she was snorting crack.

"Hey, don't jump all over me!" she yelled, then instantly became depressed again, staring broodingly at Sasuke Jr. "It's just-- Well, I'm not sure if I really wanna go out with Kiba or not. I mean, he's cute, and he makes me laugh, and we've had SOOOOOOOOOOO much fun this last week, but--" She fell silent, her fingers lazily tracing patterns in my bedspread. "I mean, how did you and Sasuke hook up? Did he ask you, or did you ask him?"

I laid down beside her and stared up at the ceiling. I stole Sasuke Jr. back without looking, and stroked his hair as I said, "Well, we kind of asked each other. Last night. I mean, we didn't even really like each other before--but then we kissed, and kissed, and kissed again, and--" Hm, how to put this without making me sound like a whore? "I liked it. A lot. He gives me fluttery feelings in my tummy."

"You sure you're not just really hungry?"

"F-U-C-K yourself!" I growled (A/N: She's steadily growing more violent with her words… Maybe I should change it…. Nah.) "Anyways, Sasuke-kun makes me feel pretty and funny and smart. He makes me feel really, really good about myself, and I guess…. I guess that's something I needed…" I realized that I was squeezing Sasuke Jr. too hard and immediately loosened my grip.

Ino was staring at me with a strange expression of wonder on her face. "Wow…" she murmured. "You love him, don't you?"

I snorted out a laugh and said, "Yeah. Damn lying….. Lying…. Oh, I can't be mad at him!" I rolled over onto my stomach and flailed my limbs wildly. "Kami, this is so effing depressing!"

My face was smooshed into the bed, so all I could do was listen to her sigh deeply, then I felt a slightly pressure against my shoulder. "You and Sasuke have something good, Sakura. You should hold onto that. And…. I'm pretty sure that he was just lying so you wouldn't be bothered. Ask him tomorrow, okay? I mean, Karin's a Class A bitch. Sasuke never really liked her, even when he was dating her. He was always shrugging her off and telling her to stop hanging all over him. He doesn't do that to you."

"You mean it?" I asked hopefully, but it came out garbled, like, "Woo me wit?"

I sat up and repeated it. "You mean it?"

She grinned. "Of course! I'm Yamanaka Ino, master of relationships!"

I laughed, then sobered slightly. "Ino, I think you should tell Kiba you're sorry."

Ino cocked her head to the side and gave me that condescending look that I'd come to associate with her. "And why would I do that?"

"Ino, you told him that you weren't looking for a serious relationship. He's hurt, so he's using that girl to make you jealous. I bet he can't even remember her name," I told her. Standing, I said, "Come on. We're going to go see Kiba."

"Wh-what?!" She jumped up and almost tripped on the carpet as she ran around the bed. I was already slipping my feet into a pair of mightily comfy pink slippers conveniently left next to the door. "Sakura, w-we are NOT going to see Kiba!!!!" she yelled.

"Oh come on!" I pulled open the door and rolled my eyes at her. "You helped me with my woes, so I'm setting your mistakes right again! Hmm, do you think he'll still be at the party?"

She snorted and didn't answer, but followed me out the door and down the hall. We must have looked so strange; two girls creeping through the hallways at one in the morning, one in pajamas with penguins on them (that would be me…. Heh…) and the other a light blue robe ( I hope she had something on under it…) and arguing in whispers.

"Let's just go to his room first," I finally yelled--whispered--, throwing up my hands. "THEN we'll go down to the party--kay?!"

Again I got that look, but I ignored it and she led me to the other side of the effing hotel, which is apparently where their rooms are. (Wow, Sasuke-kun really worked it out here….. I bet Temari and Shikamaru had rooms beside each other, and Neji and Tenten, and etc., etc.)

"There, happy?!" she yelled/whispered at me, pointing to a door down the hall.

Before I could answer, we heard a bark of laughter, and I pulled her back around the corner, out of sight. We both peering around it and I cursed beneath my breath as Kiba came into view, a girl (ugly, in my opinion--maybe I'm biased) with straight brown hair on his arm. It was obvious by the way both were stumbling along that they were drunk, and I cursed Sasuke and his family's effing hotel, with their effing alcohol. Okay, so I'm a little angry--could you tell?

"That prick!" I hissed, then, without warning, jumped into view and yelled, "IT'S YOUR BABY, KIBA, YOU TEME! I GOT A DNA TEST AND EVERYTHING!!!!!!"

"What the hell are you doing?!" Ino shrieked/whispered at me as the two turned towards me.

I ignored her and shouted, "I TOLD YOU THAT HAVING UNPROTECTED SEX WITH EVERY GIRL YOU MEET WOULD CATCH UP TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!! LESLIE AND JESSICA ARE BOTH HAVING TWINS, AND AMBER IS HAVING TRIPLETS!!!!!!! WE WANT OUR CHILD SUPPORT, YOU MAN WHORE!!!!!!!!!"

The brunette girl was steadily getting paler, which is saying something, as she'd been flushed thirty seconds ago. Kiba's face, however, was getting red, most likely with rage. I quickly added, "AND I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH NARUTO!! HE TOLD ME HE'S PREGNANT TOO, IT'S A MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Uh, I gotta go, Kiba!" the girl hastily said, then she high-tailed it away.

"SUCCESS!" I cried out, throwing my hands up in praise, to Kami, I'm guessing.

"You moron!!!" Kiba shouted, his face twisted in anger. "What the hell was that?!"

"What do you mean?! You're the one who should be feeling guilty here!!!!" I accused, pointing my finger at him. "Cheating on Ino with that girl!! Were you actually taking her to your room?! Pig!!!"

He scowled. "Cheating? I wasn't cheating on Ino! We're not together, how could I cheat on her?!"

"Well--" Hmm. I need a battle plan. "Well, you should be! And who's fault is that?!"

"Hers!"

Damnit. He was throwing curveballs. "Well--yeah, but--you don't--Ino is stupid, she doesn't know what she's talking about! Hell, she's blonde!" I heard Ino growl, but ignored it.

Kiba snorted. "Yeah, right. Well, whenever she decides to come out from behind that corner and apologize, tell her I'll be in my room. Good night!" And with that, he stalked over to his door, disappeared inside it, then slammed it shut.

"What the hell is he, some kind of ninja or something?" I mumbled as Ino stepped up next to me.

She sagged, her arms waving by her sides as she moaned, "He hates me! This is just great!"

"Buck up!" I told her, slapping her hard on the back. "He'll come around! Just go in there and apologize to him, and kiss and make up, or make-out, whichever."

"But--"

"No buts!" I grabbed her arm and propelled her over to Kiba's door, then let her go. "Now get in there and say you're sorry, damnit! And I will go back to my room and sleep, because being pregnant has worn me out!"

"….Sakura, you do know you're not really pregnant, right?"

"Well, pretending to be pregnant has worn me out. So just make up with your honey, and in the morning, we'll all have stories to share! Me about Sasuke, you about Kiba, Tenten about Neji, and Hinata about her and Naruto getting' it on--"

"Who's getting it on?" Ino's ears perked up, like a dog's.

"Never you mind. Just do your thing, and I'll see you bright and early, right around noon or so!" I gave her one last grin, then bounced away. "Good night!"

She stared after me helplessly as I walked away, and I crossed my fingers. I heard a sigh, then a knock. Muwahahahaha! I am so good at this!

So I found my way back to my room, after many a wrong turn, twenty minutes later. By this time, my feet were dragging, so I fell into bed and instantly into sleep.

Do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do

I awoke to warmth. Sighing, I snuggled closer into it, wrapping my arms around it and rubbing my face into it. A second later, it rumbled beneath my ear, then I heard, "It's a good thing I didn't lock the connecting door, huh?"

Terrific.

**I will leave it at here for now. I'm not too happy with this chapter, particularly because there wasn't enough sasusaku or boom chika wah wah, but I did have some touchy-feely feelings in here, so I guess that's good, too. Some more kibaino, so we're all ever-so-excited about that… Sorry I'm not in a very good mood. My daddy died. :( Sad, yes. **

**So I know I haven't updated in a while, and I'm sorry about that. Like I said, things aren't going too well now, and I'm kind of peeved at myself because I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with any of this, but I do know how I want this story to end. I'm just afraid that I'll have to go up to about 50 or so chapters to get to that point. So anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you review, and all that jazz. Thanks!**


	28. What a Lying Bastard!

_**Basically anything by The Veronicas, The Climb by Miley Cyrus, Unbeautiful by Lesley Roy, Don't Forget by Demi Lovato, Broken Strings by James Morrison feat. Nelly Furtado, About You Now by Miranda Cosgrove, Bottle It Up by Sara Bareilles, and Come On Get Higher by Matt Nathanson. Oh, and all the music from the Nickelodeon movie Spectacular! Especially Break My Heart by Nikko. Also, Paper Gangsta by Lady Gaga, Heartless by Kanye West, Hey by Mitchell Musso, Paparazzi by Lady Gaga, Star Struck by Lady Gaga feat. Flo Rida, and Jump by Flo Rida feat. Nelly Furtado. Save You by Kelly Clarkson, and basically any song from her new CD, All I Ever Wanted. That shi-ot is the bomb. Off the hizzie! Sorry, my nephew's fault…**_

_**So, I finally updated! Is anyone happy? Well, ya better be! And thanks to everyone who gave their condolences. I am (finally) over my dad's death…kinda. It was determined that he died of drug overdose or alcohol poisoning, or both. My Papa Frank came up to visit and we cried and he gave me some ashes and pictures and my dad's belts as mementos…I still miss him.**_

_**Whoever doesn't keep up with the manga, please don't read this: OMG, HINATA FINALLY CONFESSED TO NARUTO! AND KAKASHI AND SHIZUNE AREN'T DEAD! YAY! BUT NOW SASUKE IS UP FOR GRABS AND EVERYTHING, BUT STILL, IT'S ALL GOOD, 'CAUSE IT'LL WORK OUT IN THE END! BUT, A QUESTION…HOW COME NARUTO HASN'T SPOKEN TO HINATA YET ABOUT HER CONFESSION? ! I MEAN, SERIOUSLY, I AM TOTALLY WRITING A ONE-SHOT ABOUT IT, CHA! LOOK FOR IT SOON! -cough- Okay, that's all.**_

_**Yes, there will be a lemon. I even know when I'm gonna do it. Just…. Be patient, please? I know I said it was gonna be soon, but I didn't realize that I didn't know what I was talking about….**_

_**Itachi: I find you inferior.**_

_**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: And I find you slightly incestual.**_

_**Itachi: Your spell-check says that is not a word.**_

_**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: It also says that Aerosmith is not a word, but it is. Now shut up and go play with yourself--I mean, your dolls.**_

_**Itachi: I hate you.**_

_**Sasuke: We actually agree on something?! Oh, brother!**_

_**Itachi: Brother!**_

_**Naruto: -watches the brotherly embrace- Watch out, Teme, Itachi's hand is a little close to your--**_

_**Sasuke: Eeeeep!**_

**_Naruto: Wow. Well, Kisa Kisa Yum Yum owns nothing but this story and her OCs. Teme, would you like some ice? If we get it to the hospital quick, they can reattach it!_**

_

* * *

_

'Oh, just great. We're in Sasuke's bed! --Oh wait, that's not a bad thing!' Inner Sakura commented, going from frustrated to happy in 0.2 seconds. Inwardly I rolled my eyes at her, then slowly turned to stare into my boyfriend's face. "Er….hello!" I said, a nervous smile creeping onto my face. "Uh….do you come here often?"

His cute little annoying smirk was spread across his face, and I couldn't help but silently thank any gods that may be up there that he was so damn hot. "Is someone having a little sleepwalking relapse?" he asked, amusement evident in his tone.

I pshawed. "Whatever makes you think that? No, I just came in here to borrow…" I glanced around quickly and snatched up the pillow his head rested on, letting his head plop onto the bed. "This pillow! I heard the boss-man had the comfiest pillows, and mine are all lumpy, so I'll just be going!"

I tried to scramble off the bed, but he managed to catch my ankle and send me crashing back onto the bed. Of course, it was so fluffy that it didn't hurt, but I faked a cry of pain and cringed anyway, just to keep up pretenses. "Ouch! Sasuke-kun, you're hurting me!" I whined convincingly.

But apparently not convincingly enough. He just snorted, a very cute snort from a very cute boy, then pulled on my ankle so that I slid back until I was pressed against him. "Yeah, right. You're almost stronger than me, there's no way that I could injure you. If I'd really hurt you, my groin would be hurting right now."

I couldn't help but grin; the boy had me pegged. "Yeah, I'm a ball-buster. But still, I'm not invincible. You could, ya know, bruise me or something."

Sasuke just rolled his eyes. "Sure. So, why the rush? It's not like you've never slept in my bed before."

"Yeah, but--" I fell silent, not sure what to say. So I did what I do best…. "Hey, this isn't a waterbed, is it? Wow, it feels so different! And I love how your people have decorated the place--it has more color than your dark, spooky bedroom at home--are those curtains pink?! What do you think of--"

"Sakura, you're changing the subject," he commented. A tiny frown was beginning to appear on his face, and I didn't really want him to get angry. "What's wrong?"

I sighed, then sat up slowly, taking care not to touch him. "Sasuke-kun, is there something you'd like to tell me?" I asked.

Something flickered in his onyx eyes, but it was gone in a flash and then he was shaking his head. "Not that I'm aware of," he answered lightly.

My eyes narrowed. "Oh really? Nothing at all? Nothing about….last night, maybe?" Geez, how much more deliberate could I get?!

He twisted around and sat up on the edge of the bed farthest away from me, then glanced at me from over his shoulder. "No. I don't even know what you're talking about."

"You're such a jerk!" I shouted, leaping from the bed and pointing my finger at him accusingly. "How can you just lie to me like that?! Augh, I hate you!!!!!!!!"

I stalked towards the door that linked our rooms and threw it open, then slammed it behind me with a SLAM! and a sound like the splintering of wood. I heard him muttering from behind the door, but I ignored it. I was infuriated. What gave him the right to lie to my face, TWICE, in less than twenty-four hours?! Eh, what a dweeb!

I angrily began to get dressed for the day, glancing at the clock as I did so. It was still early, about eight o'clock in the morning, and I scowled. I'd gotten hardly any sleep, and I was pissed, and I needed some way to work off my stress. Then a wonderful idea popped into my head and I hurriedly rummaged through my drawers, emerging with my red and white two-piece bathing suit, a pair of black shorts, and a guy's white undershirt. I frowned at the last garment for a moment, trying to recall where I'd gotten it, then just shrugged and pulled the clothes on, leaving the swimsuit on under my clothes. I dragged a brush through my hair and pulled it into a high ponytail and dug a pair of sandals out of the closet where I'd casually tossed them last night. As a precaution, I smothered sunscreen all over my bared skin and slipped the bottle into my short's pocket. Now, I just needed…. I located my battered red iPod from where I'd stashed it on a whim inside my suitcase and plunked the ear plugs in my ears before turning the power on and scrolling to my playlists. Love Songs….no. Happy Songs….no. Angry Songs….ooh, yes. I clicked on it, and smiled when a Linkin Park song instantly came blaring straight into my ears. Ah, perfect.

I slipped my iPod and my room key into my other short's pocket and exited my room, locking it behind me, then strolling down the hallway to the elevator. I pressed the elevator button, then waited for….about three minutes before I said screw it and took the stairs. There was no one in the stairwell, and I grinned as I clunked down the stairs two at a time, going faster and faster until I got to the end. I burst out the door into the lobby and let my momentum carry me through the room, past the shocked face of that stupid desk girl, and out the door, straight onto the beach.

The warm sun hit me, and I closed my eyes in pleasure. Ah, the sun. It almost made me want a Sunny D. I hate those things, but hey, why wouldn't you want to Unleash the Power of the Sun?! **(A/N: I couldn't resist. Those commercials are just so stupid….)**

I turned to my left and began to jog, setting a determined pace down the beach. You know, running is a wonderful thing. It makes you feel good about yourself (especially after eating your weight in chocolate) and gives you something to focus on (if you're contemplating murdering your boyfriend). I ran past a couple of boys and rolled my eyes when I saw them whistling. Like, ew.

I kept running down the beach for about twenty minutes until I was out of sight of the hotel, then plunked myself down in the sand and gazed out over the water. The beach was very beautiful, what with the finely-ground white beach sand, the cerulean-blue water, and the sand dunes that lined the coast. The Uchihas had definitely picked a great beach to build a hotel on. Those people seem to be really good at making money--of course, I only know Sasuke and Itachi-sensei, but still….

The thought of my lying boyfriend had me scowling again, and I decided to dance my anger away. I switched to a song called _Calabria 2007 _and immediately began to dance to the beat, shaking my hips and jumping around. Not the most synchronized dance routine, but I'm out of practice, people, cut me a break. It felt good to dance, so I danced even harder.

After about five minutes, I became emboldened enough to start some of the moves I'd learned at this dance school I'd gone to for several years, but had quit when my brother left. I discovered that you can't stand on your toes in sand without falling over (who knew?) and after getting a mouthful of pretty but not tasty sand, I gave up that attempt and switched to just rolling my hips. Did you know that if you don't do that often enough, it hurts to start back up again? I did not know that. Until now. I felt like I'd just come out of a seven year coma. I was very out of shape.

I had been dancing and pretending to sing along to the song (I really don't know the words) for about ten to fifteen minutes when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I screamed shrilly and jumped a mile, falling to the sand. I stared up at my assailant with wide eyes and shouted, "It's always the quiet ones!"

Hinata flushed red and said something I couldn't hear. Tearing the earphones from my ears, I said, "What did you say?"

"I said, I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I didn't mean to disturb you," she repeated calmly, the flush receding. She wore a pretty white sundress with dark blue flowers that I thought made her look very pretty, and she'd tied her hair back in a high ponytail. "Sasuke-san told us that you two had a fight, and that you'd run off. I was concerned, so I came to search for you and found you…er…was that dancing?"

"I'm out of practice!" I practically yelled, then took a deep, calming breath. "Sorry. Eh, thanks. We had a little spat, and I want to kill him. So, what's up?"

She smiled. "Well, Naruto-kun is holding some sort of meeting in front of the hotel in ten minutes, so I thought I would come find you."

I groaned as I recalled the blonde's plan. "That ding-bat really should stop thinking so hard; he'll kill his brain cell. Oh well, I suppose if we must…."

I allowed her to help me up, then followed her as she led the way back to the hotel. Good, I was hot and sweaty. We trudged along in silence for several minutes, then I opened my mouth to say something when--

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, SASUKE-TEME! IF YOU COULD KEEP BETTER TRACK OF YOUR GIRLFRIEND, THEN HINATA-CHAN WOULDN'T BE LOST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Hn."

"DON'T EVEN GO THERE, MAN!!!!! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT AND YOU KNOW IT!!!!! IF YOU WERE A BETTER BOYFRIEND, LIKE ME, YOU WOULD-----GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Yeah, that last scream was because of me; I leaped onto the unsuspecting blonde's back and put him in a headlock, sending us both falling to the beach. "STOP-YELLING-DUMMY!" I yelled, grinding his face into the sand. "YOU'RE-ANNOYING!"

"Sakura-chan!" I heard Hinata gasp, and I jumped off of Naruto, grinning sheepishly. "Heheh…er, sorry, Naruto….you're okay, right?"

When he didn't answer, Sasuke kicked him lightly in the side. "Yo, Dobe, get up. You're gonna inhale sand if you don't."

"Too…late…" Naruto rasped as he sat up slowly, his face full of sand. "Sakura-chan, why are you so mean to me?"

I huffed. "Well, I was angry and decided to take it out on you. It's better than beating up Sasuke."

"Whatever." My boyfriend turned to me with a frown. "You're being more aggressive today than usual. And you stormed out on me for no reason. Why?"

"Because you're a lying bastard!"

"Could we continue this conversation AFTER my meeting?!" Naruto yelled, miraculously recovering from his invalid state. "Come on, we're gonna be late!"

Sasuke and I grunted angrily and followed Hinata and Naruto as they walked us back, hand in hand. Seeing this reminded me of last night, and I grinned suggestively. "Hey Naruto," I teased, tapping him on the shoulder. "Just how many of those condoms did you use last night?"

Hinata turned an amazing shade of purplish red as Naruto sputtered," Wha-wha-what are you t-t-t-t-talking about, S-sakura-chan--?! Condoms, psh!"

"All of them, I'm guessing."

"Changing the subject!" Naruto shouted, walking faster. Soon we were jogging to keep up with him, then running, then finally he stopped. "Okay, everyone's here!"

And everyone _was_ there, including the redheaded bitch from hell, who looked _way_ too happy to see me and Sasuke's angry faces and our far-apart stances. Shii ran up to me and clung to my leg, sobbing something about my boyfriend being mean. Said boyfriend glared at him and pulled him off of me. I sighed. Woe is me.

"Alright, everyone settle down, settle down, I SAID SETTLE DOWN, DAMNIT!!" Naruto yelled at us, standing on a pile of sand that I suppose was his platform. "As you all know, we are at the beach. So, we must do beach-y things."

"Did you say bitchy?" I piped up suddenly, jerking my thumb at Karin. "Because we should consult the expert."

She growled at me, but Gaara glared at her and she shut up. She must be REALLY scared of him…come to think of it, so am I….

"So anyways, I have come up with a plan for this weekend. First, we shall all change into our swimsuits and go swimming! Then, we will eat lunch in the hotel. Then we will have leisure time to do what we want. Tonight, we will have a beach party--only, this time it'll be on the beach. There will be a campfire and everything! We shall roast marshmallows and weenies!"

Silence followed this declaration, then Cara said, "Er, whose weenies will we be roasting?"

I smirked. "Well, depending on my mood later, possibly Sasuke-kun's."

Neji snorted, and I added, "And Neji's."

"Believe me, that will NOT be happening," Tenten muttered beneath her breath, bringing a tiny flush to Neji's face.

"Shut up! Okay everyone, go and change!" Naruto ordered, banging a gavel he'd pulled out of somewhere--his ass, most likely--and slamming it against the sand, producing absolutely no sound whatsoever, but hey, why crush his dreams?

"Already there!" I told him brightly, wriggling out of my shorts and passing them off to Hinata. "Hinata-chan, be a doll and put those somewhere, 'kay?" I asked brightly, then gave a whoop of joy and took off for the water. Hey, I was sweaty!

I heard laughter behind me as I dove into the surf, swimming out until the waves were crashing over my head. "Ah…this is the life," I said aloud to myself, moving to float on my back. "Now, if only Johnny Depp was here…"

"You're gonna drown if you don't stop drooling."

"…..Johnny?" I dared to ask, then frowned when I turned to see Sasuke. "Oh, it's just you."

"Ha ha, very funny," he replied sarcastically, treading water next to me. I noticed he was wearing only dark blue boxers and flushed at the proximity of our bodies. Oh how I longed to kiss him, to run my hands over his perfectly-molded chest--Whoa, bad thoughts.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked haughtily, crossing my arms over my chest.

He sighed. "Sakura-chan, talk to me. Why are you so damn mad? I didn't DO anything!"

"DIDN'T DO ANYTHING?! YOU LIED TO ME, YOU BASTARD! YOU TOLD ME NOTHING HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU AND KARIN-BITCH, WHEN I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE NARUTO AND I WERE LISTENING AT THE DOOR!" I gasped and covered my mouth at the slip.

He gaped at me wordlessly, and I said, very fast, "I'm so so so sorry, I was eavesdropping and I was totally way off-base, and it was an accident, really, so please don't be mad at me--"

My hasty scrambled apology was cut short when he pulled me into his arms and settled his lips over mine in a kiss that melted the marrow in my bones, until I was floating lifeless at his side as his wonderful, wonderful mouth moved over mine and his teeth nipped my bottom lip. Then my arms were around his neck and I was kissing him back, reveling in the feel of his hands clutching the flesh of my waist, pressing me closer and closer to him--If there was a heaven on Earth, this was totally it.

After about five minutes of really good make-out action, he pulled back and rested his forehead against mine like the other night, panting hot bursts of air into my face. I wasn't exactly ready to run a triathlon, either. "That…was…unexpected…" I managed to gasp out.

Sasuke buried his face in my hair for a moment, pressing a kiss to the wet pink mass, then drew back and smiled at me. "Sakura-chan, if you'd told me all this sooner, none of this would have ever happened. Look, yes, I lied about the incident with Karin. I just…I didn't think it was important enough to tell you. Because," he continued as I bristled.. "Because I knew you would just get all worked up and I wanted you to enjoy this vacation time. I wanted to enjoy this time with you. I wanted this weekend to be all romantic and….it's not exactly turning out as I'd planned. Forgiveness?"

Thinking on it for about half a second, I grinned and hugged him. "Forgiveness. It's the new pink," I answered cheerfully. "….Romantic, huh? How, exactly?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I was thinking of moonlit dances and candlelit dinners and electric-lit making out on my bed…"

"You're just a perv!" I told him jokingly, smacking his arm lightly. "Well, we can still do all of that….Just, please, no more lying? Even if it's for my benefit."

"Agreed." He swam slightly away from me, and I immediately began to shiver in the coldness left in his wake. "Race you back to shore."

"You're on, Lollipop Boy!"

* * *

**Yes! Finally! Can ya feel it, huh, can ya?! Sorry, I get inspiration from Jim Carrey…. Speaking of the mad genius, has anyone seen Yes Man?! It is, like, freaking hilarious! The Red Bull thing was hilarious! And that girl that played Allison for some reason reminds me of Katy Perry….Anywho, catch you cats lata! **


	29. Of Joy and Automobile Crashes

**Songs I Listened To: Oh God, there's so many! Well, lots and lots of songs by Hey Monday… seriously, you guys need to listen to them if you haven't before. It's basically a guy band with a girl singer… kinda like Paramore. I love Candles, Obvious, How You Love Me Now, 6 Months, and Should've Tried Harder. And for y'all country lovers, Need You Now by Lady Antebellum is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, even non-country people would love it 'cause it hardly even sounds like country. Then there's Cowboy Casanova by Carrie Underwood, always good… Then there's Body Bag by Hit the Lights. And Stacy's Mom by Fountains of Wayne. Oh, and Automatik by Livvi Franc, the first two lines of the chorus always make me think of sasusaku. And if you like Britney Spears, you should definitely listen to 3. Sorry, lots this time.**

**I'm starting to get a little nervous. I didn't think this story would be so long…I mean, almost 30 chapters, and they're still at the beach! I mean, I'm kinda freaking out as I'm thinking about it…But never fear! I shall write and write until the flesh wears from my fingers and I am forced to go into the hospital and have finger transplant surgery! ….just in case that happens, would anyone like to donate? Anyone? …a thumb? Pinky? **

**Sakura: I'll donate some fingers, Kisa Kisa Yum Yum.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: Oh no, Sakura, you need yours. I mean, what would Sasuke think?**

**Sasuke: …..you're right. She needs ALL her fingers.**

**Sakura: Ew. You wish, Uchiha!**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: I was talking about for healing…. Disclaimer! Pervert…**

**Sasuke: Kisa Kisa Yum Yum does not own Naruto, and if she did, then would she REALLY be writing fanfiction?**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: If I owned Naruto, you can bet that you would not be living with a pedophile and his gay lover right now (or trying to take over the world and destroy Konoha). You'd be living with Sakura, making little Uchiha babies, while Naruto became Hokage and celebrated by finally confessing his undying love (of which even he is not aware) to Hinata-chan….**

**Hinata: -sighs- I wish you owned Naruto, Kisa Kisa Yum Yum…..**

**Naruto: Que?**

* * *

_Recap:_

_Thinking on it for about half a second, I grinned and hugged him. "Forgiveness. It's the new pink," I answered cheerfully. "….Romantic, huh? How, exactly?"_

_He shrugged. "I don't know. I was thinking of moonlit dances and candlelit dinners and electric-lit making out on my bed…"_

_"You're just a perv!" I told him jokingly, smacking his arm lightly. "Well, we can still do all of that….Just, please, no more lying? Even if it's for my benefit."_

_"Agreed." He swam slightly away from me, and I immediately began to shiver in the coldness left in his wake. "Race you back to shore."_

_"You're on, Lollipop Boy!"_

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, I was chasing my boyfriend around the beach, screaming random phrases such as, "Ino-Pig, you're really, really ugly and I hate you for reasons so far unknown to me!" and "Naruto, I banish you to Uranus! And not the planet!"

Of course, he was faster than me, damn all Uchihas and their damn long legs, and so he was staying ahead of me with little effort. Hm, it was time for my secret weapon! Operation: Damsel-In-Distress is a go!

It started with me deliberately tripping myself and falling to the ground, flailing my arms and crying out in alarm. I fell on my butt and didn't even have to fake the tears that sprang to my eyes; it hurt, damn it! "Owwie!" I screamed in agony, letting some of my tears fall to increase the look of a poor girl who'd tripped.

Nearby, several unfamiliar guys were playing volleyball, and upon hearing my cries for help, one of them broke off and ran over to me, still holding the volleyball in his arms. "Are you alright, bishoujo?" he asked me in concern. **(A/N: bishoujo is beautiful girl in Japanese)**

I blushed; nobody had ever called me that before. Not even Sasuke. "I-I'm alright," I answered in a small, meek voice, accepting the hand he extended and allowing him to pull me to my feet. "Just a little shaken up."

He smiled, and I thought, _'Wow. He's no Sasuke, but he's pretty good-looking….'_

Inner Sakura of course had to make her weekly appearance that, for some reason, occurred far more often than weekly. _'Hey, we've got the hottest guy in the world. Don't go falling for no volleyball guy! I was watching him out of the corner of your eye; he sucks.'_

_'Oh, calm down!'_ I growled at her, and she retreated, grumbling about pink-haired divas. I have not the slightest idea whom she was referring to. So I just smiled back at the guy, seeing his eyes light up in interest. Nyaah, take that, Sasuke-kun! "Thank you for helping me up, um…"

"Tetsuke."

"Thank you, Tetsuke-kun…" I fluttered my lashes a bit, a move I must have picked up from one of Sasuke's many fangirls.

Speaking of my boyfriend… I felt an intense glare leveled at me, and turned with an innocent look to find Sasuke standing beside me, arms crossed over his chest and his Uchiha Glare, patent pending, on me and Tetsuke. "Oh, Sasuke-kun!" I greeted him cheerfully. "Hi! Where did you come from?"

Tetsuke glanced at him and paled. "U-Uchiha-san-!" he stammered, his eyes darting between me and Sasuke. "I-I didn't see you there--"

"I was just coming over to retrieve my girlfriend," Sasuke cut in, stressing the last word deliberately. "Sakura? Can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Who, me?" I asked, pointing at my chest dumbly.

"No, the other Sakura!"

"Oh, okay! Well, have fun with that!" I went to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm and stomped away, dragging me in the sand. "Bye bye, Tetsuke-kun!" I called out to the dumbstruck volleyball player. "See you some other time!"

I think I heard Sasuke mutter, "Over my dead body…" but I think it was just my imagination.

After dragging me about six miles or so, he finally let go, and I jumped to my feet and stretched. "Well, that was great, Sasuke-kun--same time tomorrow?" I grinned at his murderous expression.

"I'm going to kill you."

"Oh, you don't mean that--right? Right? Sasuke-kun, why do you have that shovel?"

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, we were back in the hotel after Sasuke decided to completely go insane. All I'm going to say is Naruto's head may never be the same shape.

So we were standing in the lobby, looking stupid, when the loudest noise I have ever heard came from the general vicinity of my stomach. Everyone turned to stare at me, and I flushed. "Oh. I-I guess I'm hungry…" I murmured, smiling absently.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Why didn't you say so? C'mon, let's go eat."

"Oh! Is there a Chuck E. Cheese in the hotel?!"

"Umm…no?"

"Damn. That's a serious flaw in your establishment."

He pulled me along after him as he headed to the front desk. "I need a car," he told the desk girl.

She batted her eyelashes--that's where I got it from!--and said, "Why of course, Uchiha-san! Would you like the black limo or the pink limo?"

I grinned. "You have a pink limo? Ha ha, awesome!"

Sasuke flushed. "We do NOT have a pink limo! Do we?" he asked the desk girl.

She smiled. "Absolutely! Your older brother uses that one all the time!"

This was Sakura's cue to burst into laughter--which I did, quite loudly, mind you. "I knew he was a girl!" I shouted. "No heterosexual man wears nail polish!"

My boyfriend just had a weird seizure-eye twitch thing and said, "Eh, no. The black one, thanks. I could do without that humiliation."

"B-but Sasuke-kun--! It's PINK!" I whined.

"Not gonna happen."

"Please?"

"No."

"…I'll stop flirting with strangers."

"…no. And you better not do that, anyway!"

We ended up taking the black limo, kinda, not that I minded very much. Still, I pouted and sulked until he kissed me and made me smile. It's fun, you should try it. …not kissing Sasuke, I meant the sulky thing… Don't go anywhere near my boyfriend with your lips, people. Unless you're there to kiss the ground he walks on… that's cool.

Right. So we had to go up to our rooms to change, which is really tiresome. I had to take a shower and blow-dry my hair until it was all shiny and pretty, then I had to go through my closet until I found a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a cool red tunic. Those jeans totally make my butt look good; I'm pretty sure Sasuke appreciated them too, by the way he gawked and cleared his throat.

I grabbed Naruto and Hinata on our way to our rooms and forced them to come with us. Naruto blackmailed Neji and Tenten into going too, and Tenten whined to Temari and Shikamaru until they agreed to come too. Pretty soon, every damn last one of them went with us. We ended up using the pink limo anyways.

"Come on, girls--we're taking the pink limo!" I yelled to them, pumping my fist in the air.

We all climbed into the pink limo as the guys stared after us like we were stupid. Then I had to stick my head out of the window and ask Sasuke, "Uh… where are we going again?"

He rolled his eyes. "Just tell the chauffer to follow our limo. I swear, sometimes you're so…" He trailed off at the look on my face and hastily added, "So awesomely cool and cute that I swear you're not human!"

"…that's better." I smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth before pulling back and rolling the tinted window back up to hide his dumbfounded expression. "Ah, he's so funny sometimes."

Ino snorted at that, but I ignored her. "Ah, this is great! I mean, with just us girls, you know?" she said, leaning back with a contented sigh.

"Tell me about it!" Tenten snorted, her face beyond angry. "Neji is pissing me the hell off!"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh no, not Neji! How could you possibly be angry with Neji?"

"Shut up. No, he's just…" Tenten leaned forward. "I was talking to him earlier about if maybe it was time to tell Lee about our relationship, and he just gave me a crazy look and didn't say anything! Damn all men!"

"Ohhhhh…." Cara's eyes lit up. "So you and Neji are dating! Well, why haven't you come out about it?"

Tenten blew out a frustrated puff of air and replied, "Because, Neji's family doesn't like me. Which is totally messed up 'cause I'm, like, awesome."

"Oh, they'll come around, Tenten-chan," I told her consolingly, putting my arm around her shoulders in a hug. "Just show them how pretty and cool and fantabulistic you are, and don't drink any more alcohol."

Hinata smiled at the brunette. "My family can be sort of…snooty, Tenten-chan, but they're not perfect. If Neji wants to date you, it's his choice. If I want to marry Naruto, that's my choice, too."

"Which reminds me…" I grinned evilly. "What exactly happened last night? With you and Naruto?"

The shy girl flushed pink as we all converged on her. "Wh-wh-what are you t-t-talking ab-bout?!" she squeaked in fear.

"Hinata-chan, how do you think he got the money for those condoms?" I asked, holding up an electric arrow pointing at my head that I found behind the seat. "So spill. Or I want a refund."

"Ew."

"Shut up, Ino-Pig!"

"W-well…" Hesitating slightly, Hinata finally said, "We were dancing at the party when Naruto-kun said, 'I love you, Hinata-chan. And I want to give you something.' Then he went to find Sasuke-san and told me to go up to his room and he'd be there in a minute."

"Yeah, more like 'Get naked, woman, and wait in my bed!'" Ino shouted. I hit her on the side of the head and smiled at Hinata. "Continue."

"S-so, I went to my room and changed into my pajamas."

"Describe them!" Tenten ordered. "Were they see-through?"

"Tenten!"

"Well, that always gets Neji all har-"

"Ew, not right now, Ten, you can tell us all this when your boyfriend's cousin isn't in the room!" Ino yelled, making as though to cover Hinata's ears.

"Th-the were made of lavender silk-"

"Ooh, baby!"

"-with cute white bunnies on them."

"Ugh, you're such a little kid. Bunnies don't make boys drool," Temari commented knowingly.

Hinata smiled secretively. "They made Naruto-kun drool."

I rolled my eyes once again. "I knew that boy was weird."

"So then, I washed my face and brushed my teeth, then sprayed some of that stuff Ino-chan gave me--"

"Best stuff in the world!" the blonde cut in with a dreamy sigh.

Hinata was really getting into the whole girl talk thing. "Anyway, then I entered his room through the conjoining door and sat down on his bed. His room was already messy, so I tidied up a bit--"

"You cleaned his room? Wow."

Hinata gave Ino a look that was almost a glare and continued. "Twenty minutes later, he ran in with a brown paper bag and said, 'Sorry I'm late, I hit Sasuke-teme in the face with Sakura-chan's door--'"

"Heheh, I'd forgotten about that," I cut in with a grin.

"Then he sat down next to me, took my hands in his and just looked at me with this look on his face…" Hinata trailed off, and the look on her face made me wish I'd kissed Sasuke properly. It was the look that only people in love get. She took a deep, shaky breath, then continued, "Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out… this." She extended her left hand towards us.

I took it and stared at it really hard for about five seconds when I noticed how it glinted in the overhead light. Confused, I yanked it hard from side to side, wondering where the mysterious glint was coming from-- Then it dawned on me, and I felt really stupid. "Oh! It's a ring!" I said loudly. Then I realized what I'd just said and screamed. "Oh my bob! You're engaged! He gave you a ring!!!!!!!!!!!" I repeated over and over, throwing my arms around her and sobbing like an idiot.

The others shrieked and hugged us both tightly, which is not very comfortable for the people on the bottom of the dog pile. We were all laughing and crying and congratulating her so loudly that we were completely unprepared for what came next.

* * *

Pain.

That's all I remember. One moment it was overflowing joy--then it was pain.

Later on, Sasuke filled me in on the details I'd forgotten. The black limo had been traveling directly in front of us when suddenly another car pulled in front of them. Their driver managed to swerve and avoid the car, but our driver happened to be adjusting his side view mirror and didn't have time to grab the wheel. It clipped our left side and sent us spinning, hitting the car again on our right, then hitting another car that didn't slow down in time to avoid us. Then we rolled over.

Yeah, it's bad.

Sasuke said that the black limo immediately doubled back to help us and that he called 911 and asked for ambulances. Yes, ambulances, as in plural. We were all injured.

Temari had bounced around the cab and ended up with a concussion, a broken arm, and a fractured wrist. She was lucid when Sasuke and Shikamaru pulled her out, but by the time she was stuffed into an ambulance her eyes were glazed over and she was mumbling about white bunnies and lavender silk pajamas.

Ino was on top of Hinata and I so she didn't get seriously hurt, but there was a pretty deep cut on her shoulder and her ankle got wedged under the seat. It was just sprained, thank Kami, but she couldn't put any weight on it at all.

Cara hadn't joined in on our dog pile, but she was (strangely) the only one of us wearing a seatbelt (safety first, kids). She got shaken up a bit and sustained an accidental blow to the jaw by Yours Truly (the second time I've hit her, and it was still an accident!) as I flew by her. Except for a lot of swelling of her right cheek, she was fine and refused to ride in an ambulance.

Hinata was on the very bottom of our dog pile, so she was basically uninjured except for a barrage of dark black and blue bruises along just about every part of her body and a blow to the head where it had connected with the door when we all toppled sideways. Apparently, Hinata bruises way too easily, especially considering who she's getting married to, eventually.

I was right on top of Hinata, but somehow I managed to fly into the partition glass stationed between us and the driver, bounce off like a bouncy ball, and hit the back of my head on the ceiling as we rolled over, hard. Sasuke confessed later on that, when they finally got me out, his heart stopped beating for several seconds at the sight of the huge gaping wound (I hope he was exaggerating) in the back of my head and the amount of blood leaking all over my cute outfit (seriously, can't get blood out of butt-huggin' jeans).

But the worst case was absolutely Tenten. She happened to be the person on top of our little dog pile, and so she got tossed about like a rag doll, hitting the ceiling, the door, the wall, then somehow rolling under the seat and getting wedged in between the seat and the floor. She was the last one to be rescued when she should have been the first, and she was immediately rushed to the hospital. She had three broken ribs, a fractured fibula, a broken arm, massive damage to the head, and a broken pinky.

The next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital bed, surrounded by a myriad of beautiful flowers, and the most beautiful boy in the world fast asleep in the chair beside me. I lay there for a moment, trying to get my bearings, and trying to recall why I was where I was and what the hell had happened. Then, without warning, my head throbbed once, and I cried out in pain. Sasuke was immediately awake and standing next to the bed, reaching for my hand and squeezing it as tears sprang to my eyes. "Oh Kami… oh, my head…!" I moaned, clutching it with my free hand.

"You should be resting," Sasuke told me softly, but to my ears it sounded so loud that it made my head throb harder and I winced. He lowered his voice to a whisper and said, "The doctor said that you needed to recuperate and would most likely sleep for a day or two."

I tried to lick my lips and found that my mouth was bone dry. "W-water?" I asked hopefully, and he disappeared into a door next to my bed. I took the moment to gaze around the room. It was dreadfully dreary by itself with white walls and boring curtains, but the vases of flowers sitting on every available surface cheered it up and filled the room with their heady fragrance. It made my head pound softly, but it was worth it. As my boyfriend came back with a little clear plastic cup filled with water from the tap, I fought to ask, "D-did you do this?" Then I half-gestured to mean the flowers.

He smiled gently and sat beside me on the bed. "Yes, I thought you'd need cheering up when you finally awoke." Then his expression became troubled. "Do you not like them? I can get the nurse to--"

He half-stood, but I tugged him back down weakly with a whimper. "N-no, stay!!!!!!!" I said forcefully, then sagged back onto the pillow. That's when I felt the slight weight on my head and reached up a hand, feeling around my forehead. There was gauze wrapped around my head. I stared at Sasuke in slight horror. "D-did I hit my head?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"Yes." His tone was strange, so I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong when he shoved the cup at me. "Here, take a drink," he ordered, and I let him hold the rim to my lips and allowed a thin trickle of water to slide into my mouth and down my throat. I took several tiny sips, then pushed the cup away. "What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" I asked, careful not to stammer. "What happened to me?"

"You…" He trailed off, then repeated, "You got into an accident. Your limo got hit by a car and… well, let's just say that wasn't the only car you hit."

"O-oh…" I thought for a moment, then panic set in. "Wh-where are the others?! Are they okay?!" I asked frantically.

Sasuke gazed at a point beyond my shoulder and answered my question with, "Temari, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten are all here in separate hospital rooms and Cara is out in the lobby refusing treatment for a swollen jaw, and…" He hesitated. "Tenten is in a coma. She received a hard blow to the head, but the doctors except her to come out of it in a day or two. And… the driver was killed."

My heart squeezed painfully, and I sent up a quick, silent prayer for the man and any family he may have had, then I focused on the other issue. "Tenten-chan is in a coma?! Oh Kami, this is all my fault!" I buried my head in my hands and let the tears fall down onto the sheet that covered me.

"No!" Sasuke half-yelled, his voice harsh as he yanked my hands away and tilted my chin up to meet his gaze. His eyes were filled with frustration, sympathy, and a glimmer of something I thought was love--I swear, just for a second, his eyes flashed bright red--then he repeated, "No! It was _not _your fault! Don't even think that!"

I choked back a sob and tried to ignore the throbbing in my head. "It _is_ my fault!" I cried out. "If I hadn't wanted to go get lunch--if I hadn't bullied Naruto and Hinata-chan to come with us--"

"How could you know this was going to happen?!" he demanded, shaking me twice before he realized what he was doing and stopped. "You had no way of knowing that your limo would wreck--you can blame the driver for picking _that moment_ to adjust his mirror--you can blame _my_ driver for swerving out of the car's way and allowing the car to hit you--you can blame _me_ for not having a Chuck E. Cheese in my hotel--"

The reminder made me let out a bark of laughter that turned into a sob. He gathered me to his chest and stroked circles onto my back in a soothing manner, continuing, "The point is, if it's your fault, it's everyone's fault, because no one forced us to get into those limos and no one forced us to drive away from the hotel and no one forced us to be hungry. It just _happened_. It's no one's fault. Stop blaming yourself and get better, because you know that as soon as Naruto finds out you're awake, he's going to come barging in here and jump onto your bed to make sure you're okay, and you can't deal with Naruto with an aching head."

I rested my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes, not noticing the way the corners of my mouth twitched when he said this last part. Then my eyes flew open and I said, "Sasuke-kun… did I need stitches for my head?"

Silence.

"Sasuke-kun? Did I need stitches for my head?!" I repeated.

Then I felt him nod. "Yes. And… they had to shave some of your hair to see the wound--" I let out a small cry at this and pressed my hand against my mouth to stifle the sound, "and I tried to stop them, but they said it was the only way to stitch up the wound, so… I'm sorry, Sakura-chan," he finished, his hold on me tightening.

"It-it's just hair, Sasuke-kun," I told him, inwardly cursing the telling waver in my voice. _'My hair, though. It's my hair,'_ I thought, biting my lip to keep from crying out again. _'I promised Daisuke-kun I'd never cut it. I'm sorry, Onii-san.'_ Then I truly did weep, for it may be vain to mourn your hair, but when it's a promise you've broken, crying is all you really can do.

* * *

**Don't shoot me. I mean it, all of you with rifles put them down! Do not worry, I have a plan for all of this sadness and stuff! There will be lots of explaining in the next chapter, which I will hopefully get up soon. And I know I said that with the other one, but… well, I actually mean it this time. There will be a good explanation for all of this woe! So don't shoot me until AFTER the story is finished! And I don't mean it will be finished the next chapter, I just mean… just don't shoot me, okay!?!?**

**P.S. If there are any mistakes, bear with me. It's seven in the morning and I've been up all night typing this up. So, it kind of went from a funny, happy chapter to a dreadfully sad chapter.**


	30. Busted Balls and Family DRAMA

**Songs: Lots and lots of Ke$ha, Can't Be Tamed by Miley Cyrus, When I Look At You by Miley Cyrus, Stand In the Rain by Superchick, We'll Be A Dream by We the Kings feat. Demi Lovato, Alejandro by Lady Gaga, My First Kiss by 3OH!3 feat. Ke$ha, Touchin' On My by 3OH!3, Not Afraid by Eminem, Love Me by JJ Heller, Lay Me Down by The Wreckers, Love the Way You Lie by Eminem feat. Rihanna, Animal by Neon Trees, and lots more songs that I won't bore you with…**

**Wow, I feel like such a sucky writer. I only updated three times in 2009, three times! And this is my first update in 2010, and the year is half over! My life is woe. -slides to the floor like jelly-**

**Sasuke: Get up, you sorry excuse for a human. Write the next chapter, now!**

**Sakura: Sasuke-kun, we have to be supportive!**

**Naruto: You know what I support? A little naruhina procreation. Here's the next chapter-**

**"_Oh Naruto-kun, I love you so much!" Hinata whispered as her right hand caressed the side of his face. He smiled. "And I love you, Hinata-chan. Now let's get naked."_**

**Kisa: Pervert! -slaps Naruto in the face- This is a sasusaku, idiot! Keep your pervy fingers off my keyboard!**

**Sasuke: Hn. Idiots.**

**Kisa: That's it, Sasuke, you're getting a black eye in this one.**

**Sakura: Noooooooooo! Not the face! Anything but the face!**

**Kisa: …anything? -evil smile-**

**Sasuke: Uh-oh… -crosses legs-**

**Kisa: Disclaimer!**

**Naruto: Kisa doesn't own me. Has anyone seen my tooth? I need that to eat ramen!**

**Kisa: I lol at you.**

* * *

There's this funny thing about crying. For girls, crying is like a super power. Let loose a few tears, and boys are all over you, trying to stop you, because it makes their macho manly hearts melt, which is not manly at all, so they don't like it. Sasuke is one of those guys that will actually _comfort_ you when you cry, instead of trying to bribe you with chocolate or flowers or all expenses paid trips to Cancun… But really, all I wanted right then was to be comforted. (The rest would look better later.)

He held me as I cried, something I wasn't really used to. The last time I'd cried in someone's arms they were my brother's, and that thought just made me cry harder.

After several minutes had passed, I finally began to calm down, my sobs becoming sniffles and hiccups until I was silent. His grip on me tightened as if he thought this was just me taking a breather, like being in the eye of the hurricane, but when I caught my breath and didn't begin crying again, his arms relaxed around me. "Feel better?" he asked.

I nodded, keeping my head bowed. "Can I have a tissue?"

He reached over to the conveniently placed box and grabbed a few, pressing them to my nose. "Blow."

I obeyed, even though the thought of blowing my snot into his hand was gross, and finally felt presentable enough to glance up at him. "You're awesome," I told him shakily.

Sasuke smiled and kissed my forehead, then detached himself from me and stood up. "I'm going to go check up on everyone," he said. "Be here when I get back?"

I gave him a very bright, very fake smile. "Well, I was going to jump out the window, but if you insist I stay…"

I kept up my almost-goofy smile until the door shut behind him, then it faded into a worried frown. For the next half hour, I sat staring at my hands, studying the uneven nails I'd recently bitten almost to the point of bleeding. I don't usually abuse my nails this way, but worrying about my friends quickly had me back at the nervous habit.

Almost without realizing it, my hands were back on top of my head, feeling around the gauze and trying to gauge how much hair had actually been _shaved._ The word made me shiver. Would I look like one of those old guys? Could I pull off the comb-over look? Possibly.

Sasuke came back just then and my hands automatically dropped, a welcome smile on my face. "Any news?" I asked hopefully.

That hope crashed when he shook his head. "She's still unresponsive. The others know you're awake, though, and they want to come see you. I told them I'd ask you."

I had to smile faintly as I said, "Oh yeah? And how did Naruto take that?"

Sasuke smirked. "He said something about me being the Gatekeeper to the lovely world of Sakura and that I was being stingy keeping you all to myself."

"And what did you tell him back?" I asked softly as he sat on the edge of the bed with that weird expression on his face.

He laid his forehead against mine and replied, "I told him that you were mine and I had every right to keep you to myself. Of course, I didn't say what we'd be _doing_…"

"Pervert."

"The good ones always are."

Our lips were a centimeter apart when my ears picked up the unmistakable sounds of an argument. "Sasuke-kun, do you hear that?" I asked in a whisper, turning my head so his lips connected with my cheek. "Someone's fighting out there!"

"Who cares?" he murmured, pulling back and trying again.

Again, I turned my head. The idiot fell for it, again. "What if it's someone we know? What if Naruto is getting arrested?"

"It was bound to happen eventually. Damnit, stop moving when I'm trying to kiss you!"

I glared at him. "If you don't go check, then I will, and might I remind you that this thing I'm wearing is a bit breezy in the back."

He thought about this for a minute, then sighed. "Alright, I'll go. But if Naruto's crying, I can't promise not to snap a few pictures first."

"I couldn't ask something so highly of you."

He left the room grumbling. Once he had shut the door, I began the daunting task of regaining my feet. As soon as I touched them to the floor and stood, my head swam and I grasped the guardrail on the bed. "Oooh man," I whispered to myself, "this may take a bit."

Five minutes later, I was walking around the room carefully. My head still hurt, but it also felt good to be mobile. I recognized one of my new suitcases over in the corner of the room and, rifling through it, found that someone had packed me a pair of pajamas and a change of clothes, along with the usual undergarments and toiletries. I spared a brief second to wonder where my "accident clothes" were, then pushed the thought away. I pulled the pajamas out of the bag and smiled at the cute little penguins adorning them.

Changing wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. My body was a little sore, but tugging the shirt over my head was the worst. Once I was dressed, I put my hair up in a low ponytail that didn't pull at my scalp, quickly brushed my teeth, and slipped my flip flops onto my feet. "There. That wasn't so bad," I told myself with a triumphant grin.

I opened the door and peeked outside. The hospital hallway was surprisingly empty and I managed to slip out and slink towards the nurse's station without getting caught. No one was there. "It's no fun sneaking around without even a miniscule chance of getting caught," I muttered.

I tiptoed a bit more, then gave it up and walked normally (as normally as a girl with a head injury can) towards the sign that said "Waiting Room". I peeked around the corner and my eyes widened as I took in the large amount of people in there, almost every one of them my friends. "Wow," I whispered. It was a relief to see Hinata and Cara, both looking beat up but thankfully not seriously injured. The three missing, however, was like a sucker punch to the gut. I was so focused on the negative thoughts that it took me a minute to realize I'd found the source of the commotion.

Neji, his face flushed with anger, stood in the middle of the room, Hinata by his side. Before them stood a tall man with long dark hair and the same white eyes. Anger made his features look more like Neji, but, knowing what I knew about the Hyugas (pitifully little), this had to be Hinata's father. Then I saw the young girl standing on Hinata's other side, holding her hand tightly as if afraid to let her go. Did Hinata have a little sister? I tried to remember if she'd ever mentioned it, but my head hurt too badly for that and I gave up.

Looking angrier and more melancholy than I'd ever seen him, Neji was saying something and I gratefully switched out of brain mode.

"-staying. You have no authority over me."

The man turned his hard eyes onto Hinata, who flinched slightly. "I-I wish to remain also, Father," Hinata stammered. Her words were formal and, from the look on her dad's face, not working.

"Forget it, Hinata. If your foolish cousin wants to stay, that is his decision. But you are my daughter, and I expect you to listen and obey. Now let's go."

"Hinata-chan isn't going anywhere!" Naruto said loudly, stepping straight into the argument and grasping her free hand in his. "She doesn't even live with you-well, not right now, at least-and you can't tell her what to do!"

"N-Naruto-kun-" Hinata began, but was cut off as her father yelled, "You insolent little brat! Who are you to tell me how to control my daughter?"

I gotta hand it to Naruto, the boy didn't even miss a beat. "Can you hear yourself? What makes you think that you can 'control' Hinata just because she's your daughter? She's old enough to make her own decisions!"

My boyfriend, being the awesome little idiot that he sometimes is, stepped up and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Keep your voice down, or we'll ALL go to jail, and then Sakura will kill me. Oh yeah, and you."

Hey, he was right.

This didn't seem to faze Naruto, however. "Sasuke-teme, stay out of this! This doesn't concern you!" he growled, shrugging to dislodge his hand. "Hinata-chan is staying, and there's nothing you can do to change her mind! Right, Hinata-chan?"

The girl looked paler and more scared than I'd ever seen her, but she nodded the affirmative at his query. "R-right, Naruto-kun," she said.

Hinata's dad did not look happy at this. "Where did I go wrong?" he muttered darkly. "I thought I'd raised you two to be good children, to become sensible adults! Where did I go wrong?"

Neji gave him a cold look and replied, "We're not perfect, Uncle. We're only human. I love Tenten, and I'm going to be with her whether you like it or not."

Before he could even react to that, Hinata stepped forward, a determined look on her face, and blurted out, "And I love Naruto-kun, and we're getting married when we're done with school, and having babies! I'm not moving to Suna to take over the business, and I'm not going to marry an old guy who won't even want children any more because his kids are older than me!"

Into the newly created silence, Neji said, "Okay, that's kind of a bigger deal than my confession."

Everyone's eyes were on Hinata's father's face as he went pale, then green, then red, then purple. I'm guessing that was not a good sign. I was right.

"What kind of a knuckleheaded move is that? You don't know what you're saying, Hinata, you're too young to be making those kind of decisions! You're the heir to the company, you can't just up and decide one day to give up your birthright! I won't allow this, you two can't be together, I won't allow it!"

I thought all of what he said was bullshit, but then I realized that, under the anger in his voice was a faint tremor of… fear? Concern? Panic? A mix of the three, I thought. That was interesting. So he cared about Hinata after all? Was the badass front just an act?

This was totally a Romeo and Juliet thing. Except, you know, without the dying and stuff.

Hinata kept becoming paler and paler as her father kept yelling and yelling, until finally her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell back in a dead faint. With lightning fast reflexes (and the advantage of holding her hand when she fell) Naruto caught her in his arms before she hit the floor. "Oh Hinata-chan, don't faint….!" he mumbled to her as he held her up with an arm around her waist to keep her upright. "Stay with me, beautiful…"

She was, of course, not conscious, but he just kept mumbling to her and stroking her hair as Neji stood up to his uncle in her place and took the verbal abuse with a stoic face laced with pain. I figured it was time to intervene. "Alright, everyone freeze!" I said loudly, stepping forward and striking a dramatic pose with my arms in the air. "Sakura is here now, and she will make all of you shut up with her awesomeness, because you're all hurting her head with your noisiness!"

"You're supposed to be in bed," Sasuke said with a scowl, but his disapproval was drowned out by the cries of welcome as almost everyone rushed over to me. They all hovered around as Cara threw herself at me and sobbed out all that had happened after the crash. I patted her on the back and winced when her voice made my ears and head throb. "It's okay, Cara-chan, I'm fine. And the others will be fine, too, they have to be," I told her soothingly.

She sniffled and pulled back, wiping her face and nodding at my words. "Yeah, you're right, Sakura-chan. Thank you."

Once I had been sufficiently congratulated for not being dead, I managed to see around the mob gathered around me to the others. I pushed through them and walked over to kneel beside Naruto. "Hey Blondie," I greeted him with a grin. "Good job of taking care of your future wife, there."

"Ah, shut up, Sakura-chan," he shot back, but it was accompanied by a weak grin of his own. "Glad to see you're not still locked up in your tower."

"I climbed down my own hair," I joked, then flinched at the reminder. "So Hinata's okay?"

He glanced down at her and smiled fondly. "Yeah, just reverting back to her old habits." Then he frowned. "Her old man's a piece of work."

I waved that comment away airily. "He's just worried about her and doesn't know how to show his emotions. Kinda like Sasuke-kun, only older and not as hot."

"I heard that," my boyfriend called over to us dryly from where he had sank into a chair at all of the commotion. He ran a hand through his hair and his exhaustion was visible on his face.

"Hey, don't you pass out too," I said with a smile. "Then who would carry me back to my room?"

"Sorry, I'm not an orderly. Maybe a nurse could do it."

"Mmm, or a doctor…"

"No, definitely not."

"Not that listening to you flirt isn't stimulating, but could we get back to the subject on hand?" Neji interjected dryly. "Oh, and I'm glad you're not dead, Haruno-san, it would have upset Tenten when she wakes up."

My left eye twitched. "Er, thanks for the heartfelt concern, Neji."

"About as heartfelt as you're gonna get from Neji," Naruto muttered, still watching over Hinata anxiously.

I struggled to stand and had to grasp Neji's shirtsleeve for support, which he didn't seem to like but also didn't do anything about. Once I was upright again, I noticed that I had gained the attention of Hinata's father, and he was scowling at me, too. Oh joy. "Can I help you?" I asked rather crossly. Hell, I'd just been in a car crash; I'm allowed to be a bit rude, right?

His scowl deepened. "And who would you be?" he responded, just as rudely.

"I'm Haruno Sakura, a patient at this hospital, apparently," I answered dryly. "And who would you be?"

It seemed that he struggled for a moment, as if weighing whether or not to answer me; then he bit out, "Hyuga Hiashi. I'm Hinata's father and Neji's uncle."

I would have replied, but just then I felt a smaller hand tug at my pajama sleeve. I turned to the girl who had been holding Hinata's hand; she was cute, with her father's features softened with femininity, the Hyuga pale eyes, and dark hair that fell past her shoulders. "You're Haruno Sakura?" she asked softly, her voice quiet.

I blinked in surprise. "Er, yes, I am. Are you Hinata's… sister?"

She nodded solemnly and glanced down at the still unconscious girl. "Nee-chan spoke of you over the phone to me just the other day," she said. "She told me you were nice and funny and pretty and smart. She also said you were a good friend, and that you had helped her get Naruto, who incidentally she's had a huge crush on for years. You….were in the crash too?"

I pointed to my head and grimaced. "Yup, unfortunately. But I got off lucky, compared to…" I trailed off and glanced at Neji, who had stiffened at my words. I turned back to the girl and stuck out my hand. "Haruno Sakura, pleased to meet you."

She gave me a small smile that showed a bit of attitude I was sure was normally bursting out and shook my hand. "Hyuga Hanabi. Hinata's my older sister, and she likes you, so I guess I like you, too."

"That's always a nice thing to hear." I returned her smile, then sighed. "So Hanabi-chan, is there any chance in hell that your dad is gonna let Hinata stay here?"

Hanabi shrugged. "It's possible, but I wouldn't count on it. He's very impatient and used to getting his way. Nii-san might break him down, though. They're very alike."

"I sense that about them." I turned back to the glowering Hyuga men and was dismayed to see that they were once again arguing, over Hinata again.

"She's coming home with me!"

"She lives with Naruto for the time being."

"I do not care about this stupid school project anymore, look where it has gotten her! She thinks she's in love with this-this-this _boy_, she got into a car crash-She needs to be home, where she belongs!"

"Hinata is free to make her own choices. I'm frankly surprised that she hasn't become emancipated from you yet, and I think the only things holding her back are Hanabi and her un-confrontational nature."

"Y-you-!"

I think I saw it coming before anyone else; well, except maybe Sasuke, because, at the same time, we rushed forward when Hiashi's expression turned lethal, and his right hand curled into a fist. I was closer, but I was also injured, so Sasuke and I reached them at about the same time. I wasn't thinking very clearly, so the only logical thing I could think to do was ball up my own fist and somehow knock his away as it went flying towards Neji.

What made me interfere? Probably my own stupidity. I mean, damn, all Neji did was tell the truth! Right? I mean, he didn't deserve a blow to the face, right? I really shouldn't have gotten in the way of a family squabble-but then again, if I was guilty, so was Sasuke.

Again, Sasuke was faster than me, so he got there in time to stop Hiashi's fist; he simply grabbed his wrist, then pushed him backwards. Let me tell ya, Sasuke is pretty strong, strong enough to push a full grown man backwards.

But unfortunately, my reaction time wasn't fast enough. I was still moving forward. Then, just as I would have stopped myself, my head throbbed, mostly because I had moved too fast, and it threw my aim off. I half-fell to the ground, but not before I landed my blow.

Unfortunately, I landed that blow in a place I definitely don't want injured.

Namely, my boyfriend's groin.

I almost fell on top of him, adding insult to injury, and so I found myself to be laying half on, half off of my now de-manified boyfriend. And he was letting out the weirdest sound, a mixture between a deep groan and a high-pitched girl scream, his hands going straight for his jewelry, doubling over so that we were put into a rather compromising position that was frankly uncomfortable as hell.

I wriggled out from beneath his arm and sat up on my knees, staring at him in shocked horror. "Oh no, Sasuke-kun!" I whispered, then shouted out, "Help! SOMEONE SAVE MY FUTURE UCHIHA BABIES!"

Of course, everyone burst into laughter; apparently that's just what you do when a guy gets his balls busted (literally). Normally I would join in that laughter, but I really was concerned. I mean, I pack a pretty mean punch, and I got in a direct hit. Plus, how could we get married and have babies if his salmon didn't have a way to get upstream?

"Really, people, _not funny_, I consider those mine as he is my boyfriend, and I ask you all as a friend, SAVE MY PENIS!"

That, for some strange reason I don't wish to explore further, worked. Someone called for a nurse, and within five minutes Sasuke was cradling an ice pack to his groin and I was still apologizing. "Oh baby, I'm so, so sorry, you know I would never ever hurt you! You just got in the way and I couldn't stop, and-"

"Sakura, stop talking, please," he growled. "Your voice is upsetting my injury."

I dropped the apologetic act and smacked him on the head. "Oh shut up! I'm the one who's injured, not you, you overgrown baby! Grow some damn balls-Oops, wrong choice of words."

His eyebrow twitched. "You're not helping, Sakura."

"Then how can I help, oh master?" I asked mockingly. "Do you want me to kick it and make it better?"

"Don't you mean kiss?"

"No, I meant kick, and-EW! I wouldn't kiss THAT!"

"There they go again with the flirting at inappropriate times," Neji muttered darkly from his corner of the room.

Thankfully, Minato had arrived moments ago and had spoken to Hiashi soothingly and gotten him calmed down; he had also, miraculously, convinced the uptight dad to let Hinata remain at the hospital, and remain living with them in general. I don't know how he did it, but that man must be good with words.

Hinata's eyes had flashed open when she heard Sasuke's unmanly shrieks of pain, and Naruto was now holding her, rocking her back and forth and whispering in her ear. Those two are just too cute, I swear.

Ten minutes later, I was safely back in my room and Sasuke was in the chair beside me, uncomplaining, though it must have hurt because whenever he shifted position he winced. "I really am sorry, Sasuke-kun," I told him truthfully, my lower lip stuck out in a pouty expression. "You're not still mad, are you?"

"No," he answered on a sigh, "but I'm still hurting. I'm not sure it'll ever go away."

"You big baby," I teased lightly. "Would a kiss make it better?"

He thought about it for a minute, then smirked. "Well, one would ease the pain, but two or six might make it disappear…."

I smiled when his lips settled over mine in a kiss that I was beginning to associate as familiar, and while I still didn't know the conditions of my friends, or of myself, I found myself lost in the simple action. And that's when I lost consciousness.

Head injuries are a bitch, huh?

* * *

**Oh my God, FINALLY! I HAVE BEEN WAITING ALL OF MY LIFE-**

**Er, I mean, YOU have been waiting… for this chapter… So… Here it is…**

**Oh! Before I forget! I promised to play pimpster:**

**Everyone, if you like sasusaku, (that better be all of you), READ, please, Terrified of Logic's story "Withered Black Flower", which I beta (usually) It is AWESOME, and she has pitifully few reviews for such a great story, so I suggest you read. Oh, and I am supposed to pimp my friend Trexis, I think I promised-LOOK HER UP, PLEASE! IT WILL MAKES ME HAPPY!**

**Also, as some of you may know, there was a recent poll on a facebook page on the most popular FF authors. Terrified of Logic alerted me to this fact, then I found out that someone nominated me! Yay! If you are the one, thank you so much, and this chapter was dedicated to you! (And Trexis, 'cause she voted for me, too.) I'm pretty sure that KinkyK and JazzyJ won, though-they had, like, A MILLION VOTES…. I was happy with what I got ) And it sort of inspired me to get my ass into gear on this….**

**And if you want a better explanation on why I haven't updated, I will tell you this: I may not have much of a life, but I do have one, and my life budget did not call for this chapter to be written until three o'clock in the morning on September 18th… 'Kay? And I already feel retarded, so please don't gripe at me. You could throw me into a fit of depression and force me to commit fan fiction suicide…. However that works.**

**Enjoy, though. I made it longer as a gesture of sorry…. Also, if there are any mistakes, let me reiterate… THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING… ACTUALLY, NOW IT'S ALMOST SIX. GOODNIGHT, ALL.**

**Oh, and I would just like to say that it's been so long since an update that I forgot how to...er...update... **

**Oh, also, you know the whole CPR thing with Sasuke and the cats? Yeah, I basically got a first-hand crash course on that subject a few weeks ago when my dumbass cat Lisa tried to have her kittens outside. When we brought her in, I had to literally cut the sack and cord off of at least two of the four kittens, and wipe their noses and mouths so they could breathe... All I didn't do was the actually CPR part... It was a damn nuisance, especially since it was really early in the morning and I was about to go to bed after a sleepless night... Damn great. X(**


	31. My Ticket

**Songs I Listened To: Uh, pretty much Ke$ha's Cannibal album, entirely… Deuces Remix by Chris Brown feat. A bunch of people… Any song sung by Drake… All sorts of Nicki Minaj, who has made me her bitch, because I totally love her music. No Hands by Wacka Flocka Flame, Blue Sky by Emily West, Let's Be Friends and Marisol by Emily Osment, What the Hell by Avril Lavigne, Say Goodbye, I Lost You, and a while bunch of songs by Katherine McPhee. And my biggest inspiration, a song I listened to for TWO HOURS while writing this down on paper, was Who Are You When I'm Not Lookin'? by Blake Shelton, a wonderful song. **

**So, like, what the fudge is going on in the manga? Are all of these people lunatics? They keep killing off important people, and now this freakin' war thing? Ugh. It's fudgin' depressing…**

**Oh and just to let you know, I've been watching the Naruto Abridged series on YouTube A LOT so if my humor is a bit different, blame the makers. (Who, btw, need to make more videos… like, NOW.) It's so funny, even if they make fun of Sakura ALL THE TIME. A little annoying, but… Whatever. And Little Kuriboh's stuff…. So again… Weird humor… **

**Kisa: Um… why are you all standing in a circle?**

**Sakura: Naruto choked on his ramen….**

**Kisa: Okay… Is someone gonna help him…. Or… Something…..?**

**Sasuke: Nope.**

**Kisa: Oh…. Fine by me.**

**Naruto: Glech! Kisa….doesn't…own…me…! Bleg. **

**Sasuke: Oh, he's dead.**

**Everyone: Pity.**

**(Just kidding, Naruto, I heart you.)**

**Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to my friend Trexis for her birthday (so I'm a few days late, sue me) Happy Birthday, Trexis! **

* * *

When I woke up, I instinctively reached out for my warm Sasuke-Instead, I found the floor. It's really nice.

Once I had picked myself up off the floor (and it took a bit, cause, hello, drain bamage) I sat there confused for a minute, then the events of the day before (or whenever it occurred) hit me and I gasped.

I was back into a hospital gown, much to my annoyance, but thankfully my head was feeling better than it had before. My mind wandered to Tenten, and tears burned my eyes as I wondered what I had missed.

The door behind me opened and I heard the unmistakable voice of my boyfriend, saying, "What the hell?"

"Sasuke-kun?" I asked hopefully, my heart thumping madly.

"The hell are you doing on the floor?"

"Sasuke-kun!" I half-sobbed, scrambling to get back on my feet, then failing epically. "Oh Sasuke-kun!"

He was at my side in a flash, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into his lap as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Shhh, it's alright, I'm here," he said soothingly.

"Sasuke-kun, it's not true, is it? PLEASE tell me that I just tripped or something! Tenten-they're all okay, right?"

The look on his face was my answer, and I clamped a hand over my mouth in horror. "Sakura, I know you're kind of in shock," my considerate boyfriend said very seriously "but I have important news that I can't relay unless you're completely calm and level-headed."

"News?" I clung to the word as surely as I clung onto his hand, which I didn't remember grabbing. "T-tell me-!"

"You're in shock. Calm down first."

'Calm down? Just ask me to read your mind, that would be easier!' I thought wildly. Then I took a deep breath and struggled to push my panic down. After a minute of this deep breathing, I felt collected enough to say, "Alright, I'm calm. Now tell me, you sadist!"

"I'm not a sadist-you're the one who desecrated my equipment, remember?"

"I do not recollect anything that could possibly get me in trouble."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. So are you ready for the news?"

"Ready as ever."

His expression sobered almost immediately, and my heart began to pound harder in reaction. He pulled back slightly, cleared his throat, and said, "Temari had a mild concussion and a broken arm, but she's stable now and is, from what I've heard, being 'Troublesome', direct quote. She was checked out by her father, a rather irate character, if you ask me. She did not go willingly. Apparently, he hates Shikamaru. Thinks he's a lazy bastard."

"Who doesn't?"

"So then Shikamaru's parents came and there was a bit of a blowout-"

"Awww, I missed a _fight_?"

"Well, you were asleep for two days-"

"_WHAT_?"

"Don't dwell. Anyways, his mother, a scary, loud woman, yelled that Temari was a very nice girl and they had enjoyed having her in their home, but the accident was in no way Shikamaru's fault."

I squeezed his hand tighter and he paused in the story to press a kiss to my hair. "Temari's father continued to rant and rave until, er…"

"Until what?"

Sasuke flushed. "Until Shikamaru's mom…" He mumbled the rest of his sentence under his breath.

I blinked. "What?"

"Shikamaru's mom kicked Temari's dad in the groin."

"Pffffttt…."

"…stop laughing."

"It's just _ironic_!"

"Yes, I understand it's ironic, but could you just stop laughing and listen to the rest of the story?"

"Heheh… sorry. Continue, please."

"Thank you. So after that, the Naras got kicked out, and Temari literally got dragged away by her dad, when he could walk again. You pack a pretty punch, princess, but I think I actually saw the soul of that guy's balls fly away."

I couldn't prevent my smile at that mental picture. "I'd like to meet this woman."

"I'd rather you didn't."

"Hardy har har, strawberry."

"….."

With a sheepish grin, I gave him a small kiss on the cheek, since being asleep for 48 hours must give you some bad breath. "Sorry, Sasuke-kun. Please, I want to know what's going on."

He turned his head to the side in a futile attempt to hide his blush and cleared his throat again. "Good. Uh, so Ino has a sprained ankle and a cut on her forehead-Unfortunately, neither of those injuries affect her mouth, so the only one able to stand her for five minutes or more is Kiba, and I suspect that he has an autopilot setting."

"Hmm, he's also a ninja."

"I always wondered."

I snuggled closer to him and hid my smile in his t-shirt. "Ya know, I'm really starting to like you, Uchiha Sasuke," I told him, my words slightly muffled.

He laughed quietly. "The feeling's mutual, Haruno Sakura."

"It better be."

I wanted to tell him then. I wanted to blurt it out and deal with the consequences without fear. But something held me back, prevented me from saying those three special words.

Sasuke broke the silence by continuing my update. "Hinata and the Dobe were dragged away yesterday by Minato-san. He expressed his get well wishes, but said that they could be more progressive at home rather than in the waiting room."

"Oh, that's-Wait, home?" He nodded. "So that's it? We missed the whole beach vacate thing?"

"Well, it wouldn't be much of a vacation with Tenten's condition, would it?"

I bit my lip and shook my head vehemently. "No, I just meant-I just want it to be Saturday again! We were having such a good time! And I want Tenten-chan to be okay again? Kami, what if she d-d-_dies_, Sasuke-kun?" My throat contracted and I choked on a sob as tears once again spilled down my cheeks.

Maybe there wasn't anything he could have said to soothe me, but it hurt when he kept silent and didn't at least hold me. After a minute, I looked up at his face, just in time to watch a tear roll down his cheek. I gasped, "Sasuke-kun, _a-are you crying, too_?"

He swiped at the offending water droplet and, in a voice gruff with emotion, said, "No, I just-a dust particle attacked my eye-"

_'At leas't he wasn't deliberately ignoring us,'_ Inner Sakura piped up.

"Liar. I didn't think you were such good friends with Tenten-chan," I commented curiously. The words 'Sasuke' and 'crying' never went together-or was he secretly a big softie?

He resolutely turned his face away from me and rubbed his eyes. "I've never been close to her, but-Dammit, I'm human! And besides, I hate it when you cry. It kills me every time."

I pressed my lips to every bit of his hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. I misunderstood," I told him softly.

"Huh?"

I shook my head. "Never mind. I'll stop crying if you do."

"I told you, the dust particle- Ah, screw it. Alright. So… who does that leave?"

Cara and Tomisho."

His amused chuckle surprised me. "Oh, right. As soon as he saw Cara, Tomisho was so relieved that he kissed her."

"No way! What happened next?"

"Well, you punched her in the jaw, so she shrieked and accidentally punched _him_ in the eye."

I winced. "Ouch. Poor Tomisho. Then what?"

"When they went home yesterday, there was a lot of hand-holding and inappropriate merriness."

"They're so cute."

"And violent…"

"…like a younger us…"

"…we're the same age…."

"Whatever." My silly smile faded and I whispered, "Neji and Tenten-chan ?"

Sasuke looked troubled. "She's still in a coma, and he's still waiting here. Only leaves her room when he's ordered to do so. He wants to be there when she wakes up, I think, so that he can tell her that he loves her. She's the only one who hasn't been told yet."

It would be a more romantic story if it were just that-a story, not a reality that we were all living through now. Still, I sighed wistfully, "How romantic."

He frowned. "Hey, I've been here this whole time, waiting for _you_, and I only left to get our things from the hotel, and to get you this." He gestured to my pillow, and I gasped dramatically. "Sasuke Jr.!" I cried out, grabbing the plushie toy and hugging it. "Oh, thank you, Sasuke-kun!"

"I thought you would appreciate that." He consulted a watch on his wrist and cursed. "I was supposed to call Itachi at one o'clock."

"….it's only three after."

"He'll still bitch like a girl. Er, uh, not that girls-"

"Yes we do. Mostly." I smiled at his nervous attempt at a save and extracted myself from his lap. "Go call your brother. I'm going to freshen up and go visit Tenten-chan.

He frowned. "Alright, but if you feel faint-"

"I'll find some nicely muscled stranger to catch me," I teased. "Don't worry, I feel fine… A bit of a headache, but fine…"

He still looked worried, but after a moment, he pressed a kiss to my forehead and pulled out his cell phone. "Alright. Just…" He frowned. "Just be…careful."

"I will," I said softly, my smile genuine. "I'll try not to get into any pink limos on the way.

"Not funny."

"I know, I know… I promise I'll be careful, alright?"

"I'm holding you to that." With that, he left my hospital room, shutting the door behind him.

For a minute, I just stood there, cuddling Sasuke Jr. and praying that my legs would hold me up. The plushie smelled of the real Sasuke, masculine and comforting, a scent I'd love to bottle and spray on everything I come into contact with. Honestly, the world would be a better place, to me at least, if the world smelled like my Sasuke-kun.

I jolted myself out of my reverie and sighed, then slowly made my way to the bathroom, leaving Sasuke Jr. on the bed. Once my business was done, I tried to straighten out my crazy hair, gave up easily, then rooted around in my suitcase. Sasuke had indeed brought my stuff from the hotel (a mental image of him handling my undergarments made my headache worsen a bit) and I found a simple green tank top and loose crème-colored skirt that brushed my calves, along with my generic light brown sandals and underwear. I decided to forgo a bra cause, hello, they're evil and I had a car accident as an excuse.

Once I was dressed, brushed my teeth, and applied thick layers of deodorant and perfume to drown out the smell of hospital that was suffocating me, I grabbed Sasuke Jr. before exiting my room.

I found actual _nurses_ at the nurse's station, and when I asked for Tenten's room number, an older woman pointed me in the right direction with a scowl and a warning not to disturb the patient. He-_llo_, she's in a coma! And if I did disturb her, at least she'd _wake up_!

Standing outside the door, however, my anger faded, replaced by a fear that shook me. Was I ready to see her? I wanted to see her, but…

I'm not really good at emotions, ya know? I was still coming to terms with having so many friends, and actually really _caring _about them. And, of course, loving Sasuke. I won't even touch on _that _subject.

I had finally made up my mind to knock when the door opened and Neji went to step out, then paused at the sight of me. "Oh, you're up," he greeted me with somewhat dull surprised. "How do you feel?"

"Concussed," I replied, taking in his paler-than-usual face, his gaunt features, the haunted, strained look in his eyes, and his-Oh, his beautiful hair! It was dull and greasy, tangled and pulled out of his normal ponytail. _'He's even still wearing the same clothes as the day of the accident!_' my Inner stated sadly. _'That's gotta be true love!_'

I blinked heavily as my eyes began to water. With a quiver in my voice, I said, "But you must feel even worse. At least I can say that my heart isn't…" I trailed off. 'Isn't being broken with each second her eyes stay shut,' I added silently.

He seemed to understand what I was trying to say, for he nodded and sighed. "I'm worried. Tenten is strong, but…"

"Tenten IS strong," I repeated. "I've only known her for a week, and I already know that Tenten. Is. _Strong_." My words were firm and I was just as shocked as him by the confidence I was projecting. "Don't give up on her! I don't know much about comas, but I'm sure that she can hear you, even if she's not listening. You have to believe that she'll get through this, or else she'll just give up!"

Neji's eyes were widening as my voice got louder, until they were saucers and I was near shouting. When I finally fell silent, he stood still for a minute, then nodded dumbly. "You're right," he whispered, staring down at the floor space separating us. "I need to be strong, for her. Because… If I'm not strong, she won't be strong. She needs to know that I…." his eyes rose to meet mine "that _we_ all love her. You… You should go see her. That's what you came for, right?"

I nodded back, my lips suddenly glued shut. He stepped around me and held the door. "See if you can wake her up," he whispered. "She has to know that I love her… and that I'm sorry that I hid her from everyone, like I was ashamed of her… I can't let it go like that, if…"

The silent words hung suspended in the air between us, but I shook my head and, without thinking, placed a hand on his shoulder to dispel his worry. "'If' won't happen. Not so long as I'm alive. If I have to kick her subconscious ass to wake her up, I will."

A ghost of a smile flitted across his lips, then disappeared. "Thank you, Haruno-san."

"Sakura."

"…Sakura-san."

"…we'll work on that." I took a step into the room and sucked in a large gulp of air as I saw her. "Shit!"

Neji said something as I rushed forward, then halted a few steps from the bed, but I was beyond hearing him. My horrified gaze ran over the figure laying prone on the bed, and my brain automatically dismissed the notion that this was Tenten. Tenten was sweet, tough, warm, and vibrant, good-natured and independent. This-_This_ was a girl I didn't recognize, a girl with long wavy brown hair that was spread across her pillows and that was pale under skin beginning to lose its tan, with a large white plaster cast on her left arm and a smaller one on her pinky, in a pale blue hospital gown like the one I was wearing earlier. She looked-she looked weak and helpless. 'No wonder Neji was beginning to lose hope,' I thought.

"I'll be right outside the door," he said softly, then shut the door behind me.

I was losing my confidence, seeing how delicate she looked, how vulnerable she was. But luckily, my Inner was there to encourage me.

_'Stop bein' a damn pussy! All that talk of being strong and believing' in Tenny-chan and here you are, bein' a hypocrite! You came to help, not to wallow in tears, ya sissy punk!'_

I squared my shoulders and wiped the freshly-spilled tears from my cheeks, my resolve strengthening at her-my-out words. "For Tenten-chan," I murmured, then took a deep breath and stepped up to the bed.

"Hey Tenten-chan, it's Sakura… I don't' know much about comas, but I've heard that it helps to speak with the patient, so… I'm sorry that this happened, Tenten-chan. Sasuke-kun told me that it was no one's fault, but I still feel guilty. Whether you blame me or not is irrelevant. I just want you to wake up. Even if you hate me…" I swallowed painfully. "Even if you hate me, I still want you to wake up. Everyone is so worried. But… I know you're strong, and I know that you'll make it, but you need to do it soon, because I… I need you to. We all need you to.

"I've only known you for a week, but you're closer to me than a sister. Us girls, we're a pack, and we'd all end up howling without you. I'd go mad without your advice. Our talk the other night was important to me. You're like the female equivalent of my brother, and I feel so ate peace with you, even when you're being wildly inappropriate.

"And Neji is LOST without you. He looks a hot mess, whatever that means, and I doubt he's slept much, if at all. And he has a lot to tell you, so you need to wake up, because it's important and you're really gonna wanna hear-_Oh Kami_."

Her fingers were twitching. At first I thought I was just seeing things, but-

I was overjoyed, but then I froze. This wasn't right. So, while she began to stir a bit, I ran out into the hall and grabbed Neji's sleeve.

"Hey-!"

I pulled him into the room despite his shocked protest and pointed at her. "Her fingers just started twitching! You have to be here when she wakes up!" I told him fiercely. "It's not right if she wakes up to _me_!"

I ran back out to the hallway before he could respond. As happy as I was that she was waking up, it wouldn't be fair to intrude upon Neji's moment. My heart was fit to burst, though, so I went off to find my boyfriend.

To my surprise, Naruto, Hinata, and Minato were in the waiting room. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled happily as he saw me. He jumped up and gave me a hug. "Are you feeling better? You look like hell."

"No, she looks _alive_, just the way we like her," Hinata chided softly, replacing her fiancé's hug with her own. "We were very worried, Sakura-chan."

Minato clapped a hand on my shoulder sympathetically. "I'm glad you're up and about."

I gave them all a shaky smile. "Thanks you guys. Have you seen Sasuke-kun?"

"The bast-" Naruto shot a look at a disapproving woman three seats away and cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, he's in an empty room, talking on the phone. Room 115, I think."

"Thanks." I hesitated. "I feel compelled to tell you something, but you can't freak out."

Hinata gave me an alarmed look and I said, "It's good news. Um, Tenten's awake-BUT! Neji needs some alone time with her, so you can't see her yet!"

As expected, they freaked out.

"Oh Kami-sama, did she say anything? Did you inform an orderly? When can we see her?" Hinata babbled, happy tears spilling down her cheeks.

"I wanna sign her cast!" Naruto blurted, earning him a blow to the head from dear old Dad.

I shook my head. "I didn't actually wait around for her to wake up, I wanted Neji to be able to have his say. Give them ten of fifteen minutes, then tell a nurse, okay? I don't want to interrupt them."

Taking a deep, calming breath, Hinata gained control of herself again and nodded. "Alright, Sakura-chan, we promise. Will you be with Sasuke-san?"

"I need a Sasuke hug," I told her wearily. "I'm exhausted."

With that and another round of hugs, I set off to find Room 115. It was close to mine and I peeked inside without knocking.

Sasuke was pacing the floor like a caged animal, his long legs eating up the space in two strides, then turning around and pacing, back and forth, until he saw me. His fierce expression immediately softened, then he sighed into his cell phone. "She just walked in. No, why would I lock the door? Gah, just shut up so I can ask her."

"Ask me what?" I shut the door and walked over to him with a concerned frown.

"Itachi wants to come see that you're okay," he said, his tone bitter. "_And _he extends his get well wishes and all that junk."

"Oh, uh-" Sasuke was shaking his head no at me in a frantic way, very clearly telling me what he wanted me to say. On the one hand, it was nice that Itachi-sensei (was it right to call him that?) cared enough to want to see me, but on the other hand, Sasuke was making it clear that he did _not _want him to come.

"Well, I'm planning on going home tomorrow-Perhaps he could come to the apartment for dinner tomorrow night?" I said it loudly and into the phone so that Itachi could clearly hear me.

Sasuke did _not _like that. "That's not-" he began, then cut off. He sighed. "No I'm not being evasive! That's not the point, I just-" He raked his fingers through his hair and fixed me with a death glare. "_We would be delighted to have you for dinner tomorrow night, Brother. Seven o'clock, don't be late. Bye._" He disconnected the call. "What the hell did you do-"

Before he could finish, I threw myself at him. "Oof!" He caught me in his arms with a surprised look. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"N-n-no!" I wailed. "Tenten woke up!"

"That's great! ….isn't it?"

"Yes! But I was so happy that I couldn't react properly without being in your arms!" I buried my face in his shirt for a moment, then lifted it to his. "Just kiss me, Sasuke-kun, and don't let me go!"

"Never," he whispered just before his lips touched mine.

Neji and Tenten were so in love. He stayed by her in the best of times and the worst. I just want the same thing. True, unconditional love. And we weren't quite there yet, but Sasuke was my ticket.

* * *

**Yay, Chapter 31! I'm back, baby! Hope you all enjoy it and review! **

**Also, I would like to start replying to every review I receive, for I feel that it would really give me inspiration and more motivation to write and update faster. So honestly, if you have a question, ask in a review and I will answer in my reply if I can. If you don't have an account and still have a question, please send me an e-mail: KisaLycorsis34 at yahoo(dot) com. Thank you for reviewing… Or for just reading. I will be sure to reply, even if it's just to say thanks for reviewing. **

**AND, if you see any mistakes, please tell me so I can fix them. I'm a stickler for mistakes in my writing. Thanks! **

**Oh, and by the way, the "Sissy Punk" thing is from my cute little nephew. We call him a sissy punk. Which is weird, 'cause he calls me Sissy...**


	32. Dinner For Bakas

**Songs I listened to: Grenade by Bruno Mars, the Customized Princes song by Ke$ha, Hallucination, The Harold Song, Heart Fall Out, I Hate You (Don't Leave Me), Hungover, I'm the One, Kiss 'n Tell-all of those by Ke$ha, yeah, I'm a bit obsessed, Somewhere With You by Kenny Chesney, Marisol, Let's Be Friends, and Unaddicted by Emily Osment, Stay by Miley Cyrus, Look At Me Now by Chris Brown feat. Busta Rhymes and Lil' Wayne, I Need You To Love Me by BarlowGirl, Beautiful Dangerous by Slash feat. Fergie, Don't You Wanna Stay by Jason Aldean feat. Kelly Clarkson, If I Were You by Diagram of the Heart, Running Back To You by Matt Wertz, Born This Way by Lady Gaga, Single Girls by Laura Jansen, Roadhouse Blues by The Doors, Light My Fire by The Doors, Touch Me by The Doors, Love Me Two Times by The Doors, Love Her Madly by The Doors, S&M by Rihanna, Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol (but the version from Grey's Anatomy: The Music Event), Just Tonight by The Pretty Reckless, Blame It On the Rain by He Is We, 'Till the World Ends remix by Britney Spears feat. Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha, Rolling In the Deep by Adele, 21 Guns by Green Day, and many, many more. God, this part is always so long.**

**So I know that those you who are my friends on facebook know that March eighth was this story's three-year anniversary (and I'm just thinking, "Jeez, girl, get it over with!" and then I get sad at the thought of it ending) and I really wanted to update then, but then I realized that I was in no way ready to update so soon (soon, haha, right) so instead I updated The Elevator, which kinda worked out, so… Happy three years, everybody!**

**Also, I've sort of mapped out how the rest of this fic is gonna go (better late than never, right?) and if everything goes according to plan, then the lemon (augh, I'm so embarrassed!) will probably be in the next chapter, and LBWAUOT will probably be ending soon. That's a big bummer, but I'm thinking _(THINKING, it's not set in stone_) thinking of doing a sequel, or at least an epilogue. So yeah.**

**Was I going to say more? Probably, but this is long enough. **

**Naruto: Why don't you have a normal disclaimer this time?**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: Why would you ever want ANYTHING to be normal?**

**Sasuke: Yeah. Like, for example, your face.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: I'd so say your mom as a retort, but 1.) it makes no sense, and 2.) I like Mikoto even though she's dead.**

**Sasuke: …. Kisa Kisa Yum Yum does not own Naruto or anything but the plot and her OCs. Nor does she own Pillow Pets.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: Even though I'm eyeing that cute little panda, and if I had twenty bucks, that bish would be mine!**

**Sasuke: …baka.**

**Kisa Kisa Yum Yum: ….your mom.**

* * *

"I'd catch a grenade for ya…"

"….."

"'Cause baby, you're a firework…"

"….."

"Ya know we're superstars, we are who we are!"

"…."

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but chains and whips excite me!"

"…Sakura, put the iPod down."

I grinned and gently caressed the shiny new iPod touch that was my boyfriend's guilt gift. He had stocked it with the hottest songs and I had already made a mental list to add to it myself. "Never! I'm gonna sleep with it!"

"Then you're sleeping in the guest room."

Reluctantly setting down the shiny thing, I reached out for him and he came willingly (or so I'm chronicling), sitting beside me on the bed. "Have I told you how much I love…my gift?" I asked, chickening out and managing to keep my expression playful.

He smirked and brushed the back of his hand softly against my cheek, making me shiver delicately. "Well, you haven't given me a welcome home kiss yet."

"Shouldn't you be giving _me_ a welcome home kiss?"

"Point taken," he murmured before leaning forward and capturing my lips.

Just before it got mind-blowing, a cough sounded behind us and a familiar voice yelled, "Oi, stop raping her face, Sasuke-teme, she's injured!"

Sasuke pulled away and leaned his forehead against mine with a sigh. "I know that you like having an errand boy, but if you let me kill him, we can get a better one. One that doesn't stink."

"As tempting as that offer sounds, I'd rather _not_ suffer the wrath of Hinata-chan," I told him, then giggled at a mental picture of Naruto lying on the ground with X's for eyes and the sweet-natured Hinata chasing my boyfriend with a pitchfork.

The blonde bounced into the room with a grin and holding a large box. "Hinata-chan and I brought you a welcome-back-from-certain-death gift!"

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, thanks, Naruto. Is it edible?"

"Yeah! Well, not the box, cardboard doesn't taste good.. Well, Hinata-chan made the food, and I found the box in my closet!"

He looked so proud of himself that I hadn't the heart to tease him. "Arigato, Naruto. Arigato, Hinata-chan."

She blushed prettily and put the back of her hand to my forehead. "A-are you sure you're feeling alright, Sakura-chan?" she asked, worry evident in her voice. "Maybe you should've stayed in the hospital one more day-"

"Ugh, no way!" I rolled my eyes, then winced as the action made my head throb. "I'm not a big fan of hospitals. Besides, if anyone needs a hospital bed, it's Tenten. The poor girl has seen too much excitement."

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure that waking up suddenly with a broken arm and in a hospital, not remembering why you're _in_ the hospital, then to be jumped by a weird Neji claiming undying love for you, is a lot to take in."

"Maybe _that's_ why she punched him in the face."

I grinned. "Luckily for Neji, she was still weak, so he's only got a _little_ bruise."

Hinata giggled and said, "But he was so happy that she was awake that he didn't care. And then she started crying-Nii-san said she was crying, anyway. She denies it."

"I would too," I muttered, then pasted on a thick smile at Sasuke's suspicious look. "So, what awesome gift have you bestowed upon me? I hope it's delicious!"

"_Anything_ Hinata-chan makes is delicious!" Naruto proclaimed loudly, looking slightly affronted. "And you'll like them a lot, Sakura-chan!"

Pulling the box over to me, I lifted the lid off of it and cooed down at the cute little cookies. "Aww, they're adorable! Who's adorable? You are! You are!"

Sasuke performed a quite spectacular facepalm and said, "Sakura, if you want to baby-talk something, we have four kittens here."

"Kittens?" Hinata squealed, clapping her hands like a little girl. "Ooh, I wanna see them! Can I see them?"

"Um… Sure…?" He motioned to Lilac's box and knelt down beside it. "Hey there, Lilac," he said to her, reaching out a hand and petting her. She meowed and purred with pleasure, but didn't rise. All of the kittens were feeding except for Naruto, so that's the one he lifted up for Hinata to see. "This is our kitten-Naruto."

"Awww, he's adorable!" she exclaimed softly, using one finger to pet the tiny kitten. He mewled pitifully and turned his head towards her, though his eyes were still shut. "Naruto-kun, come see! Isn't he precious?"

The blonde obligingly trotted over and stared down at him warily. "He won't bite me, will he? Spell always bit me."

"She was trained to bite you," Sasuke retorted. "These are just kittens, I haven't trained them yet."

"You are _not_ turning these kittens into mindless drones, Uchiha Sasuke," I threatened him, though it was made less effective by my mouthful of cookie and the one I was brandishing at him. "They'll run away, just like Spell did!"

"I still maintain that she ran away because you moved in."

"Nonsense. I'm a very loveable creature. These cookies are awesome, Hinata-chan, thank you! Here Sasuke-kun, try one!" I shoved a cookie in the general direction of his face, but he grimaced and pushed it away. "No thanks. I don't like sweets."

"Bull-honky, everyone likes sweets. Eat it."

"No."

"_Eat. It_."

"No."

I gave up and shoved the cookie in my own mouth. Then I tried to speak. "Fank woo fo' da coodies!"

Naruto looked confused. "The… cooties…?"

"Baka."

"Don't you have a dinner party to get ready for or something?"

…..

"I COMPLETELY FORGOT!" I yelled, throwing the cookies up in the air and almost falling flat on my face in my hurry to get up.

"Calm down, Sakura, I'll take care of it," Sasuke told me, trying to hold me back.

"SCREW THAT, YOU'LL FUCK IT ALL UP!"

Naruto and Hinata began edging out the room, their expressions shocked and more than a bit scared. "W-w-we're gonna go…" Naruto muttered, then grabbed Hinata's hand. "Run, Hinata-chan, she can smell fear!"

I growled and pushed at Sasuke's hands. "Lemme up, I gotta start cooking!"

"You're not cooking, I am."

"I'm cooking!"

* * *

Sasuke refused to allow me to cook. My head felt considerably better, but I still resembled a mummy, and he fussed over me as I fussed over the apartment.

"We should move this chair over there!"

"Let me do that, just sit down and put your feet up-no, not on the chair!"

"Hey, do you have any glass cleaner? This mirror has a spot right on my nose."

"Here, let me do that, the fumes aren't good for you!"

"Look at this dusty table, I'll just… SASUKE-KUN!"

"Just give me the rag and no one gets hurt!"

"I gotta go potty. Hey Sasuke-kun, would you like to wipe my ass, too?"

"…."

So he won the argument and made dinner while I cleaned obsessively. At seven-thirty, I rushed to get ready. I'm not allowed to get my bandage wet, so I was forced to wear a shower cap as I took my much-needed shower. My hair was still all sweaty, so I pulled it into a messy bun and hoped that gross sweaty buns were in this season. It seemed stupid to wear make-up for a teacher, but I applied a bit of eyeliner, mascara, and concealer for the heck of it, then broken down and put on my favorite clear lip gloss.

I dressed quickly into a white halter-top dress adorned with pretty red and pink flowers, then slipped my feet into white slippers. Sasuke's eyebrows rose at my choice of clothing, but he didn't comment. When he emerged from the bedroom ten minutes later, hair damp from his own shower, he was wearing black dress-pants and a dark blue long-sleeved dress shirt.

I was fluffing a cushion on the couch when the doorbell rang two minutes before eight. As I ran to the door, I thought wildly, 'There's a doorbell?'

"Konichiwa, uh… Itachi-sensei…" I greeted the taller Uchiha, not entirely sure what to call him.

He smiled pleasantly. "That's for the classroom, Sakura-san. Itachi-san is fine."

"Itachi-san." I returned his smile and stood aside so he could walk into the apartment. "Sasuke-kun's hiding in the kitchen. Can I get you some tea-?"

"We're out of tea!" he called out.

"Um, okay. Lemonade-?"

"Out of lemonade!"

I rolled my eyes. "Are we out of water, too?"

"…that depends on who is asking."

Itachi smirked as I made a very rude and highly inappropriate hand gesture in the direction of the kitchen. "Water is perfectly satisfactory," he told me politely.

"Right." I flushed at my rude behavior and bade a hasty retreat out of the room after saying, "Please, sit and relax, I'll just be a minute!"

Two minutes later, Sasuke's face was rearranged and I returned to the room with two glasses of ice water to find Itachi examining a photo I had place don a coffee table. "Oh, that's me," I said brightly as I set the glasses down on coaster. "I was seven or so. Sasuke-kun doesn't have many-_any_-photographs up, so I grabbed this one from my place."

"He doesn't have many. When our parents passed away, he was shuffled through foster homes so much that he just stopped setting them up. Then he stopped looking at them. And now, they're all in storage."

I really hated to admit it, but I sort of like Itachi. He was polite and had a good sense of humor, and I could tell that he cared for Sasuke and wanted to be closer to him. "You really care for him, don't you?" I asked softly.

He didn't smile. "Yes, I do." He hesitated, then pulled out his wallet. "Have you ever seen our parents?"

My eyes widened and I shook my head. "N-no, no I haven't. Do you have a picture?"

"Yes, I keep one in my wallet. Would you like to see it?"

Do pigs wallow in mud? "Oh yes, I would very much like to see it!"

He reached into his wallet and pulled out a somewhat small photograph. I reached with trembling fingers and took it from him, then studied the people in it. There was a tall man with brown hair with his arms folded over his chest, his expression serious, while the woman beside him was almost a head shorter than him and had long hair the color of Sasuke's and a pretty smile. There was also a little miniature Sasuke, looking exactly the same, only happier, and a teenage Itachi. My eyes watered and I sniffed. "You all look so happy. Well, except for your father."

Itachi chuckled. "He rarely showed his feelings. Now Kaa-san… She was more than adapt at getting her feelings across."

I reluctantly handed the picture back, then sat down on the couch as my head began to swim a bit. We made small talk for ten minutes before Sasuke finally made an appearance. "Dinner's ready," he announced, expression decidedly blank.

"Ah, the elusive princess finally emerges from her tower," Itachi joked, his eyes teasing.

"Hello, brother. Having fun?"

I rolled my eyes and stood carefully, ignoring the slight pain in my head. "Behave, Sasuke-kun. Did you set out the pickles?"

"Sakura, pickles don't really go with what I fixed."

"Oh I'm sorry, were YOU in a car accident?"

"No."

"Then shut up and set out the damn pickles. _Sweetie."_

Itachi chuckled as Sasuke sighed. "Yes, Your Highness."

* * *

The table was silent save for the clinking of silverware on plates. The tension was so thick that, maybe-I lowered my knife when Sasuke gave me that disapproving glare.

After another minute, I took a deep breath and said, "So Itachi-sensei, did you always want to be a mathematics teacher?"

The elder Uchiha looked up from his plate and smirked. "No. I wanted to be a male stripper-but I can't dance or work a pole, so I was fired."

"O-oh.. Well…"

"He's kidding," my boyfriend assured me with a scowl at his brother. "Can't you stop lying for a couple of hours?"

Itachi sighed. "Sasuke, I was just being humorous. Or could you not recognize something so close to _happy_?"

"So Itachi-sensei, have you ever gotten a root canal?" I blurted randomly before Sasuke could retort.

"Umm… No?"

"Ahh, good, good. So… have you ever counted the spots on a giraffe?"

Sasuke slammed his glass down and rounded on his brother. "I _am _happy. With Sakura. Most of the time. When she isn't cracking her skull open!" he growled. "But you've never _seen me happy! _In fact, up until a couple years ago, you hadn't really seen me AT ALL!"

An angry pink had flushed Itachi's cheeks as Sasuke ranted, and now he said, "I've told you before-they wouldn't let me be your guardian-"

"But you could have visited more!" Sasuke yelled, seemingly forgetting I was in the room. "You could have fought for me! But no, all you cared about was going to college-you called once a month and visited only on holidays-"

"I was still a kid too, Sasuke! Yes, I gave up too easily. I didn't keep in contact as often as I could've… but I was young! I was a confused, grieving adolescent boy who wanted to run as far away as possible-away from Konoha and the memory of our parents-and in doing so, I alienated you. You were so much like Father-silent and quick to scowl-with Mother's eyes and her rare smiles-it hurt to be around you."

With a start, I realized that he was right. The woman in Itachi's picture had the same smile I'd witnessed on Sasuke, full of tenderness and genuinely beautiful-and the man had seemed so like Sasuke…

"I _needed_ you, Itachi. I needed my big brother. And you chose to…" Sasuke cut off and ran a hand through his hair before he seemed to realize that he was standing and yelling. Taking a calming breath, he sat back down and shook his head. "Never mind. I don't want to have this argument now."

"It's not good to hold your feelings in, Sasuke-kun," I told him in a half-whisper. He just shook his head again and speared a piece of broccoli with his fork.

The rest of the dinner passed in silence, though I tried to break it with more random questions and idle chitchat that didn't really work. Twenty minutes later, our plates were mostly clean and I smiled at Sasuke. "That was a really good dinner, Sasuke-kun."

He didn't seem to hear me, or if he did, then he ignored it. The two brothers rose at the same time, but didn't move away from the table. They stared at each other for so long that I almost interrupted several times, but swallowed back the urge.

"I just want you to be happy, Sasuke," Itachi said finally, maintaining eye contact with his brother as they both stood poised over the kitchen table laden with dirty dishes. "All of our past difficulties aside, I love you and want what's best for you."

I held my breath and glanced between them as Sasuke apparently warred with himself at the proclamation. After a moment, he replied, "I _am _happy. With Sakura, I mean. She is what's best for me."

My Sasuke-lovin' heart melted at his words, and I barely felt Itachi's gaze on me or heard him say, "I'm sure she is. Well, I'm sorry to eat and run, but I have a large stack of papers to grade and a rowdy class to prepare for. Teenage boys shouldn't be placed in a room together for large amounts of time, they get antsy."

Then he said to me, "I see that you are indeed alright, Sakura-san, and I am deeply sorry not to have asked how you were earlier."

I started; I'd completely forgotten about the accident in light of the brothers' tension. "That's alright, Itachi-san. I'm almost completely okay! Just got a little hair problem, that's all."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at this. "Whether you're okay or not, you're tired, I can tell. Go lay down in the bedroom. I'll show Itachi out and clean up the kitchen."

I started to protest, then gave up. "Whatever you say, oh master." But I said it around a yawn, so I'm sure that the sarcasm didn't come through. Standing somewhat shakily, I smiled. "Thank you for coming over, Itachi-san. You're welcome anytime. Just call first, so I can run around in a panic, dusting."

He smirked. "Thank you. Goodnight, Sakura-san, and sleep well."

I would have said more, but I was yawning again, and then Sasuke practically pushed me towards the bedroom. I went pretty willingly. "Goodnight, Itachi-san. Hurry up, Sasuke-kun," I mumbled, shuffling into the bedroom and shutting the door behind me. I heard muffled voices out in the apartment, but I was too tired to eavesdrop. Clumsily shedding my dress and slippers, I pulled on one of Sasuke's shirts and let my hair down with a grateful sigh. Then I slipped into bed, and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

After what seemed like seconds, I woke up to the sound of a door closing quietly. I looked up just in time to see my boyfriend disappear into the bathroom before he shut the door behind him and the room was dark once more. Yawning loudly, I turned to look at the alarm clock and frowned. It was almost midnight.

Five minutes later, he exited the bathroom and switched the light off, but not before I caught a glimpse of his bare chest. My heart fluttered at the sight and all vestiges of sleep went out the window. I heard him cross over to the dresser, pull out a drawer, rifle around in it for a few seconds, then shut it once more. Then came the rustle of clothing, and less than a minute later, he was slipping into bed next to me.

"Sasuke-kun. It is midnight. What took you so long?"

I felt him smile against my skin as he pulled me close to him and buried his head in the crook of my neck. "I was cleaning. You're all warm and fuzzy."

"I'm not a Pillow Pet, Sasuke-kun."

"You're as soft as a Pillow Pet," he mumbled. "Just go back to sleep."

I snuggled closer to him and sighed peacefully. He was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open, and I let him doze off for a minute before speaking my mind.

"…Sasuke-kun?"

He mumbled something, so I pressed on. "Um… So, I was thinking, and…. We should definitely have sex tomorrow night."

1...

2...

3.…

"WHAT?" he practically shrieked, bolting up and out of his near-sleep like a rocket and sending me tumbling to the floor. I cried out in pain as my face, for the second time in as many days, hit the floor.

"Damnit, Sasuke, watch what the hell you're doing!" I growled as I slowly raised myself up and grasped the edge of the bed, glaring at him. "What's crawled up your ass?"

Sasuke grabbed onto his hair and yanked, which can't be good for sexy Uchiha hair, and stared down at me as if I'd transformed into a winged bat before his eyes. "You-you can't just say the word-well, you know-out loud like that and not expect me to flip the fuck out!"

"Okay, Sasuke-kun, that language is not necessary-"

"You say it all the time!"

"Yeah, but I don't yell it at myself! Have a little respect!"

He made some sort of sound that was part moan, part shrieking cry, and flopped himself face-first onto the bed, which made me feel partially better. "I'm dating an idiot, I'm dating an idiot," he groaned repeatedly, twisting and writhing on the bed.

"Correction: You're dating a _sexy _idiot and-Wait, did you just call me an idiot?"

"Just… Just shut up for a minute as I try to locate my brain…" he mumbled, then writhed a bit more for the hell of it. I rolled my eyes and pillowed my head on my arms next to him on the bed. After a few minutes, he finally looked up. "Are you serious?"

"About what, being this incredibly sexy, or having se-"

"Don't say it!" he groaned. "But yes, that part."

I shrugged. "Well, yeah, sure I'm serious. I wouldn't have said anything if I wasn't serious. You're pretty hot, and I'm pretty hot, and we'd have awesome babies-"

"I'm not having babies with you!"

"Not now, dummy. But, well…" I blushed and covered my face with my hands. "I want to, okay?"

He sobered quickly and grasped my hand in his. "Sakura, you know that you don't _have_ to-to sleep with me, right? I mean, I'm not one of those guys-"

I shook my head. "I know that, Sasuke-kun. But I still want to. I mean, you're a _really_ good kisser, and that makes a girl… Presume things. I would like to confirm these presumptions."

Sasuke sighed and unconsciously began stroking his fingers up and down my arm. "Well… If you really want to.. I guess I can't say _no._"

I grinned. "Well, you could, but I'd just get some somewhere else."

"Over my bleeding carcass." He pressed a kiss to my lips, then settled himself more comfortably on the bed beside me. "Alright then. It's a date."

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," I whispered. The irony of the situation did not escape me-a girl, practically forcing her boyfriend to sleep with her? Almost unheard of.

It might seem like we were moving too fast-but I love Sasuke-kun, and I want to give him everything I have. Besides, I want to drop the L-bomb on him sometime, and this would give me a perfect opening.

Sex with Sasuke? The blood is leaving my brain just thinking of it.

It was a date.

* * *

**Finally! Next chapter is the lemon-but don't expect too much. RubyStorm has been helping me out in that department (thanks, hun) but I'm still waaaaaay too embarrassed to make it extremely detailed. If my timeline goes the way it should, I'll have three or four more chapters left of this story. I know, I want to cry, too. But enjoy anyways. Sorry if there are mistakes or it's rushed, it's almost five in the morning here and I'm tired, but I want to get this up. That, and I'm working on an original project (check out my facebook for details) Also, friend request me on facebook, link's in my profile, I love having friends, and I love bouncing ideas off of you all lol Review, please!**


End file.
